Kepler
Troubleman Unlimited
Ottawa-based quartet Kepler creates delicate, lovely, windblown indie pop compositions with masterfully minimal strokes. Their songs are beautifully understated: a single guitar chord shimmers and fades, a quiet brush of a snare drum complements it, then perhaps there's a millisecond of silence before singer Jon Georkish-Watt's fragile, poignant voice begins. Sometimes two guitars intertwine for a part of a song, sometimes you might even hear a touch of strings or piano, but for the most part Kepler employs a "less is more" philosophy that enables them to produce wonderfully sparse, lilting songs. You could liken their sound to slo-core bands like Codeine and Low, but Kepler has a unique style that's somehow cold and serene on the outside but warm and alive within, like a snow-covered town.
In addition to Georgish-Watt, who also plays guitar, the band features percussionist Mike Sheridan, who plays with an effects box on some tracks, Samir Khan on bass (and sometimes piano), and Jeremy Gara, whose slide guitar parts help give Kepler's songs their melancholy feel. The band formed in 1997 and released a self-titled, now unavailable demo tape. In 1999, Kepler released a single, "Between Still Sheets"/"Can You Steer by Mars?" and a six-song CDEP, This Heart Is Painted On, on Spectra Sonic Sound Records. In 2000, they followed with the provocatively titled Fuck Fight Fail on Troubleman Unlimited. It features "The Elegant Recline," "2," and "4."
Jesse Ashlock
last updated:
08/28/01
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