THE TALE OF THE UGLY SNITCH
(or the Up and Down Runaround of a Band with Over-sized Shoes)
THE WORD ON BLACK BOOK |
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Enduring veterans of the Montreal music scene, The Snitches are back and thirsty to haul ass and take names. Their fourth CD Black Book is a deft blend of their trademark raucous guitar-edged pop and hauntingly delicate lyricism. It's The Snitches at their boldest and most sublime, revelling in the antic exuberance of their infamous live act while exhibiting careful attention to the subtle joy of innocent pop harmonies.
Black Book surely stands as a signature album for the band, reflecting the diversity and inventiveness of an incredible indie-pop scene and a band who's played a fair hand in influencing that evolution. |
Once upon a time, in a magical island city called Montreal, there lived a care-free clan of freakish boys and girls who the locals knew as The Snitches. They played a wide range of musical instruments and enjoyed throwing parties in their cavernous loft, where sometimes funny hats got worn, a drunken pig named Mitsou would sometimes be caught scoffing beers, and always was their dancing under the red letter C to the wee hours of the morn. It was not all fun and games, however; for this was also a time where such gloomy, ominous sounds with names like emo, grunge and hip-hop dominated the public ear. The Snitches could never quite wipe the grin from their faces and fit into such tight-fitting shoes; they relished stomping round in their clumsy boots to a hybrid blend of upbeat punk and pop.
They grew to become that band the industry scenesters loved to deride and
dismiss -- who were these gender and genre-fucking performance art-fag clowns?
The name "Snitch" did seem to suit them well; for though they would never consider ratting on a friend, they had certainly done their fair share of pilfering popular styles which they slyly reclaimed as their own, while their inane stage tomfoolery could be construed as a poke and a tweak to the upturned nose of the oh-so-pained status quo!
THE SNITCHES:
RIGHT BEFORE YOUR NAKED, STEAMIN' EYES |
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So with frenzied perseverance, The Snitches continued throwing their underground parties til eventually the common folk began showing up en masse to discover that they too enjoyed gyrating in goofy over-sized shoes.
The audiences began to yearn to bring back some of the craziness to the privacy of their humble abodes; so The Snitches retreated into the studio to return with two albums which drew much astonished acclaim.
Venues started selling out above-ground and the geeks came to inherit the earth!
(or at least that magical island city of Montreal)
But as unexpectedly as all this came, the talk all around turned too serious for their own good; and with the studied aid of a visionary manager, they proceeded to spend all of their money, lose all the wonderful girls, and almost gave up the ghost themselves.
Years of struggle went by; but through sheer stubbornness or stupidity, The Snitches recruited new members, sharpened their sound and scraped up enough filthy lucre to return with their most energetic punk album yet.
And for once time was smiling on The Snitches, for the times had changed once more-- the jangly hook-filled pop The Snitches steadfastedly adored was once again all the rage!
As with all good things, like the smell of grade A beef cooking on the grill, one of the majors came slavering, and The Snitches succumbed to the flirtation. At first, the relationship was going very well--the album was charting and the videos were receiving regular rotation. But soon enough the evil talk rose once more of narrowed focus and market niches -- The Snitches were being cajoled again into trying on those tight-fitting shoes.
The Snitches were never adept at following the lead so the major decided to abandon their dance to seek out more compliant partners.
Broke again and seemingly forsaken, The Snitches dug in their calloused heels even more stubbornly or stupidly than before. So without any more lament or ado, The Snitches now proudly introduce to you their fourth album which they have named Black Book. They find this title to be appropriate because it is their most personal and independent work yet -- a who's who of sounds and influences which they have experienced and experimented with over the years. This is The Snitches' testimonial album to all the common folk who's ever joined them in their journey in those not so perfect shoes!! And for the first-time listener who likes their pop fast-paced and far-reaching, The Snitches encourage you to open the Black Book... inside you might find, they've got your number!!
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