In the book The Island Of Seven Cities: Where The Chinese
Settled When They Discovered America, Paul Chiasson, a Toronto
architect and amateur archeologist, makes the claim that it was
the Chinese that discovered America before Columbus, evidenced
by the ruins found at Cape Breton Island, NS. The Hylozoists
new album, L’Île de Sept Villes is indebted to this book by
name sake, and while there’s little in common overall, there
is an element in both that connect to an unmapped journey of
discovery and territory claim. L’île de Sept Villes, the
third record by The Hylozoists creator Paul Aucoin, is a sonic
dream, where focus is put on the landscape of the pieces; where
time and space are shifted with each song but provide an ongoing
background for one’s voyage in reverie. It solidifies The
Hylozoists as Canada’s indie-art orchestral mavens.
Since forming in 2002 in Seabright, Nova Scotia, the band have been
releasing records and touring. Sounding like a score to a movie not
yet made, The Hylozoists’ music is performed live by an ensemble
ranging from six to ten musicians Aucoin enlisted from his life as
a producer, arranger, engineer and performer. The band has shared
stages with The Besnard Lakes, Cuff The Duke, The FemBots, Destroyer
and Lambchop to name a few.
As a producer, Aucoin has worked on other artists’ productions
including: Laura Barrett’s Victory Garden, Andre Ethier’s On Blue
Fog and Born of Blue Fog, Cuff The Duke’s Sideline of The Cities,
Wayne Petti's City Lights Align, and Golden Dogs’ Big Eye Little Eye.
He’s contributed arrangements, vibraphone or his engineering skills to
The Fembots, The Constantines & Feist, Hayden, Brendan Canning,
Elliot Brood, Small Sins, Cursed, Quest For Fire, Jason Collett,
Roxanne Potvin, Holy Fuck and Great Lake Swimmers. Aucoin has also
been working on films, scoring Sara St Onge's The Funeral (showcased
at Sundance) and The Lobotomobile (premiered at TIFF), a musical based
on Walter Freeman's life as a crusader for the art of the lobotomy.
L'Île de Sept Villes was produced with Jeff McMurrich (Constantines,
Hidden Cameras, Sandro Perri) who helped the band achieve a much bigger
sound. “Bras d’Or Lakes,” the feature track on the record is both haunting
and hopeful as strings are weaved around a buoyant piano melody.
The animated video for “Bras d’Or Lakes” is currently underway and
will be serviced to all video outlets, including Bravo, MusiquePlus,
and music and art blogs. The band continues their tradition of using
literary titles with the opening song 'The Possibility of an Island',
named after a Michel Houellebecq novel. The last track on the record,
“Soixante-Sept,” was originally commissioned by CBC as “Oh Montreal”
for DNTO’s Expo 67 Special.
Since their 2006 release La Fin Du Monde, the band have cemented a live
line up that’s instrumentally diverse and : “…the sound of the vibes,
billowing and folding inside the high-roofed gallery, was astounding on
its own -- and backed by the soft beats of the drums, the low rumble of
bass, and the veritable orchestra of other instruments -- it really (to
put it crudely) blew us away. I know nothing about these guys except that
the stolen snippet of unplanned music they gave us was some of the freshest,
most delightful and more enjoyable at the SXSW festival." – About.com
Tour dates are being confirmed for 2009 with Central Canada in February,
moving to the East Coast of Canada and SXSW in March and continuing into
late April with West Coast dates. The band will be performing at festivals
in the summer of 2009 as well as continuing their work in the US with dates
ranging from April to July.
February 11th |
Gordon Best Theatre |
Peterborough w/ Le Cyc |
February 13th |
Guelph Little Theatre |
Guelph w/Le Cyc |
February 14th |
London Museum |
London (no bill as of yet) |
February 19th |
Blacksheep |
Wakefield QC w/Jill Barber |
February 20th |
Blacksheep |
Wakefield QC w/Jill Barber |
February 21st |
The Mod Club |
Toronto w/Jill Barber |
February 26th |
Starlight |
Waterloo ON w/ Le Cyc |
March 5th |
Fredericton |
NB Venue |
March 6th |
George's Roadhouse |
Sackville NB |
March 26th |
Amigos |
Saskatoon SK |
March 27th |
Broken City |
Calgary AB |
March 28th |
Pawn Shop |
Edmonton AB |
April 3rd |
Lucky Bar |
Victoria BC |
The Hylozoists will mark their record release with an instore at Soundscapes
in Toronto, Ontario on February 10th at 7:00pm.
The Hylozoists are:
Paul Aucoin – Vibraphone & Instruments
Randy Lee – Violin
Christopher Sandes – Piano & Melodica
Matthew McLaren – Bass
Greg Millison – Drums
François Turenne – Guitar