The eyes of lovers of music everywhere haven’t been this fixed on Canada since John Lennon went there and demanded peace from a bed in a hotel in Montreal in 1969. Ok so, there was the occasional Alanis and there’s the Avril phenomenon. But now every kid with a maple leaf on their beanie playing a guitar is looked at with genuine interest, ever since bands like The Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade turned out to be such an exciting breath of fresh air in the indie music world. I am here to perpetuate this trend and jump on the bandwagon while I ask you to cast your eyes on yet another band from the land of Canadian bacon! (I’ve recently learned the Canadians call it ham.)
They Shoot Horses Don’t They? have a weird name taken from the title of a weird movie from the sixties and make rather weird music on their debut album with the weird name Boo Hoo Hoo Boo. Weird or mindblowingly wonderful? I’d say both in equal measures. They have a horn section, that at times seems to have played at many a bar or bat mitzvah … on speed. There’s indistinct clanging going on - did I hear an anvil? - and there are often many voices singing at once. Though not all the voices are necessarily singing the same song. They sound like the lyrical thoughts of a schizophrenic clown who sometimes listens to punk and Modest Mouse and the occasional New Orleans-based brass band on fast forward. If all these qualities do not sound like anything you’re looking for in your New Favorite Band, I would like to ask: Who is? Nobody sane could ever come up with the noise They Shoot Horses Don’t They? make, but this is a kind of insanity I would happily skip taking my pills for. Oh, and if you happen to have some time on your hands, while you’re not listening to They Shoot Horses Don’t They?, go watch or re-watch They Shoot Horses Don’t They? the classic movie from 1969. I know I said it’s weird, but much like the band, it’s that good kind of weird … starring Jane Fonda!
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