The Most Serene Republic

A few months ago I made a spontaneous download on emusic.com of The Most Serene Republic. I had never heard of this band, nor read any reviews, but for some reason I still downloaded their sophomore effort, Population. After giving the record a couple spins I thought the music was original and pretty fun but didn't give it any more listens for some reason. A month ago I saw that they were going to be playing at Kilby Court and I considered emailing some of my concert going friends to see if they wanted to go; but decided against it, since the band is super obscure (yes even too obscure for us) and didn't think anyone would want to go. Luckily, Brian emailed us on Sunday night and I did not pass up the opportunity... and man, was that a great decision!

The Most Serene Republic is a seven piece that hails from Ontario. They signed onto Broken Social Scene's home grown record label Arts & Crafts two years ago and they have the distinction of being the first band to sign onto that label with no connections at all to the Canadian supergroup. With that said, their sound is very influenced by Broken Social Scene, although they do have an original sound all their own.

I was excited about the concert at Kilby Court, a very small and personal venue basically held in a garage. They also have an outdoor section with a fire pit. When I say personal, I mean personal... as there were about 25 people in attendance at this concert and Brian and I were right up front, close enough to get spit on by the band (one of the guitarists accidentally dropped his hotel keycard at Brian's feet... or maybe he was coming onto him). The day before the concert I had been obsessively listening to their new album and found myself addicted. Their sound so complex and too deep to grasp on first listen (which is probably why I only initially listened to it a couple times, then set it aside).

Their set list was outstanding, pumped full of energy and the small crowd was definitely digging it. They had everything from trombones, violins, keyboards, and a shit load of guitars. My favorite tunes were “Compliance”, “The Men Who Live Upstairs”, and “Present of Future End”. The lead singer was a hoot to watch, with his goofy facial expressions and I appreciated the heart he put into the performance. The other vocalist, Emma Ditchburn, was cute as a button with such a sweet voice. Overall, it was one of the funnest concerts of the year for me and one of the most surprising. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that when I got home, I downloaded all their other music as well (legally).

For their encore, they took us outside and around the campfire where they played a really awesome acoustic tune. What a cool group of people... and when this band becomes superstars of the indie scene (because they will, believe me) in a couple years, Brian and I will be able to say that we chilled with them around an intimate bonfire. Truly an awesome night!