Sunset Rubdown

Last updated
Sunset Rubdown
Sunset Rubdown Donaufestival 09 (3474866892).jpg
Sunset Rubdown performing in 2009
Background information
Origin Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres Indie rock, art rock
Years active2005–2009, 2022–present
Labels Absolutely Kosher, Global Symphonic, Jagjaguwar
Members Spencer Krug
Camilla Wynne Ingr
Michael Doerksen
Jordan Robson-Cramer
Nicholas Merz
Past membersMark Nicol

Sunset Rubdown is a Canadian art rock music group from Montreal. The band began as a solo project for Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, who released his debut, Snake's Got a Leg , in early 2005. [1] By the next year the project expanded to become a full band which included Camilla Wynne, Jordan Robson-Cramer (Magic Weapon), and Michael Doerksen. [2]

Contents

Musical style

Sunset Rubdown is built around lyricist Spencer Krug's vocals and eccentric musical compositions. Krug's lyrics are characterized by surreal and mythological imagery, and often tell epic stories (most notably on their LP Dragonslayer ). Musically, the band's sound is highlighted by distinct drum, keyboard, and guitar signatures. [3]

Album releases

Krug released his first solo album under the name Sunset Rubdown in June 2005 titled Snake’s Got A Leg . A collection of experimental solo creations he recorded on his laptop. One year later in 2006, Krug released the solo-created Sunset Rubdown EP in January. This was followed by the first full band album Shut Up I Am Dreaming recorded in Montreal in early 2006 [4] and released in May to positive reviews, finishing the year with a 15th-place ranking on Pitchfork's best albums list.

Performing in New York City in 2007 SunsetRubdown-BoweryBallroom(October9,2007).jpg
Performing in New York City in 2007

Random Spirit Lover , recorded in Montreal's Breakglass studios in the late winter of 2007, was released on the band's new label, Jagjaguwar, in October of that year. [5] The recording featured an eclectic, and elaborate collection of songs, which was heralded as one of 2007's best albums by several critics and music publications. [6] The CD made a number of top-20 albums of the year lists,[ citation needed ] earned Pitchfork's "Best New Music" distinction and finished in 14th spot in Pitchfork's year-end Readers Poll. The album also made NPR's list of top albums of 2007, and was nominated for the U.S. Indie Music industry's Plug Award in the Best Indie Album of the Year category.

In 2007, Mark Nicol was added as the band's fifth member. Sunset Rubdown completed their first tour of UK and Europe in June 2008.

The band recorded their fourth album in Chicago after a fall 2008 tour of the U.S.. Following a spring 2009 tour of several European countries, Dragonslayer was released on June 23, 2009 to critical acclaim. The album's 'live off the studio floor' dynamics has garnered widespread acclaim. The band once again earned Pitchfork 's "Best New Music" ranking, and received a perfect '10' from England's Drowned in Sound web magazine, with Dragonslayer staying in the top-10 on Canadian and U.S. college and indie music charts (Earshot, Chart Attack) for 10 straight weeks through July and August 2009.

Dragonslayer finished on many online music magazine and music blogs top albums year-end lists (Drowned in Sound, Associated Press, Earshot), including several Top 10 lists (Chart Attack, Cokemachineglow). The album was voted as the 16th best album of the year in Pitchfork's year-end readers poll and also finished as one of the top-40 highest ranked/reviewed albums of the year based on Metacritic's tracking system.

The band completed a 46-city tour of Europe, U.S and Japan from September to November 2009, after which they disbanded.

In December 2022 the band announced a two-month reunion tour of the U.S. and Canada slated for the spring of 2023. Based on the success of that tour the band announced their plans to record their fourth album - after a 14-year hiatus - in the coming year. [7] On the 8th of July 2024 they released the song "Reappearing Rat" on streaming services, and announced that their fourth album Always Happy to Explode would be released on September 20 2024. [8]

Discography

Personnel

While all members of Sunset Rubdown resided in Montreal, Quebec, at the time of the band's formation, all were transplants from other parts of Canada. Spencer Krug, Michael Doerksen and Jordan Robson-Cramer are originally from British Columbia, with Camilla Wynne originally from Alberta. Nicholas Merz, who joined the band after their 2022 reunion, is originally from Washington State.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okkervil River</span> American rock band

Okkervil River is an American rock band led by singer-songwriter Will Sheff. Formed in Austin, Texas, in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya set on the river Okkervil in Saint Petersburg. They began as a trio made up of Sheff and friends he had met in his native state of New Hampshire but, over time, have gone through many lineups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolf Parade</span> Canadian indie rock band

Wolf Parade is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2003 in Montreal. The band released three full-length albums before taking a five-year hiatus in 2011. They announced their return in 2016, releasing a self-titled EP in May of that year, and a fourth studio album, Cry Cry Cry, in October 2017. Their fifth studio album, Thin Mind, was released on January 24, 2020.

<i>Apologies to the Queen Mary</i> 2005 studio album by Wolf Parade

Apologies to the Queen Mary is the 2005 first full-length album by Canadian indie rock band Wolf Parade.

Jagjaguwar is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frog Eyes</span> Canadian indie rock band

Frog Eyes are an indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada fronted by Carey Mercer. Their 2010 album Paul's Tomb: A Triumph was a longlisted nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize. They have released eight albums and two EPs and are noted for their collaboration with Dan Bejar of Destroyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pony Up!</span> Canadian indie pop band

Pony Up is an all-woman Canadian indie pop band based in Montreal, Quebec. They are known for their guitar-and-keyboard based upbeat music and their personal and sometimes sexually suggestive lyrics.

<i>Shut Up I Am Dreaming</i> 2006 studio album by Sunset Rubdown

Shut Up I Am Dreaming is the second studio album by Sunset Rubdown, released in May 2006 on Absolutely Kosher Records. It is the first album showcasing the expanded Sunset Rubdown line-up, featuring new members Camilla Wynn Ingr, Michael Doerksen, and Jordan Robson-Cramer. The album was met with critical acclaim. It was named the 27th best album of 2006 by Stylus Magazine and the 15th best on Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums of 2006.

<i>Sunset Rubdown</i> (EP) 2006 EP by Sunset Rubdown

Sunset Rubdown is an EP by Sunset Rubdown. It was released in January 2006 on the Global Symphonic label. Following the release of Krug's solo album Snake's Got a Leg, Sunset Rubdown acquired three new band members. Before their first collaborative release, Shut Up I Am Dreaming, Krug released Sunset Rubdown which consisted of his more solo material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spencer Krug</span> Canadian musician (born 1977)

Spencer Krug is a Canadian musician. He is the singer, songwriter and keyboardist for the indie rock band Wolf Parade and has recorded solo under both his own name and the name Moonface. He has also performed with other Canadian bands including Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, Frog Eyes, Fifths of Seven, and ska band the Two Tonne Bowlers, playing various instruments. His involvement in many musical acts has garnered him a noticeably high output of work, being credited on several releases a year. He is known for his distinctive voice and songwriting abilities.

Swan Lake was a Canadian indie supergroup comprising Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes and Blackout Beach; Dan Bejar of Destroyer, Hello, Blue Roses, and The New Pornographers; and Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown and Frog Eyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carey Mercer</span> Canadian musician

Carey Mercer is a Canadian musician best known for his work as lead singer of the indie rock band Frog Eyes and his work in Swan Lake, Blackout Beach, and The Republic of Freedom Fighters.

<i>Random Spirit Lover</i> 2007 studio album by Sunset Rubdown

Random Spirit Lover is Sunset Rubdown's third LP, released on October 9, 2007. The album marked Sunset Rubdown's change from the Absolutely Kosher Records label to the Bloomington, Indiana-based Jagjaguwar records. The album was recorded in January 2007 at Breakglass Studios in Montreal with Jace Lasek and Dave Smith.

Jordan Robson-Cramer is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist musician based in Montreal, Quebec. He was the founder and front man of the band Magic Weapon, and former member of the bands Miracle Fortress. He is also an original member of the recently reformed Sunset Rubdown which is planning to record its 4th album in the coming year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bon Iver</span> American indie folk band

Bon Iver is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon had originally formed Bon Iver as a solo project, but it eventually became a band consisting of Vernon, Sean Carey, Michael Lewis, Matthew McCaughan, Andrew Fitzpatrick, and Jenn Wasner

Women was a Canadian indie rock band formed in Calgary in 2008. The group consisted of Patrick Flegel, Christopher Reimer, Matt Flegel and Mike Wallace. Their debut album Women was released on Chad VanGaalen's label Flemish Eye on July 8, 2008 in Canada and on Jagjaguwar in the United States on October 7, 2008. It was rumoured that the band broke up on October 29, 2010, after a fight on stage at a show at Lucky Bar in Victoria, although their management stated that they had merely cancelled the rest of their tour.

<i>Dragonslayer</i> (Sunset Rubdown album) 2009 studio album by Sunset Rubdown

Dragonslayer is the fourth and final studio album recorded by the Canadian indie band Sunset Rubdown. It is the second of their albums to be recorded under the Jagjaguwar recording label. It was released June 23, 2009. The album was made available for MP3 download with preorder on May 20, 2009. The track "Paper Lace" had previously appeared on Enemy Mine by one of Spencer Krug's other bands Swan Lake.

<i>Sunset Rubdown Introducing Moonface</i> 2009 EP by Sunset Rubdown

Sunset Rubdown Introducing Moonface is a two-song EP by Sunset Rubdown, which was released in April 2009. The two-song "picture disc" was recorded at Spencer Krug's house and mixed by Arlen Thompson and Krug at Breakglass Studio.

<i>With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery</i> 2012 studio album by Moonface and Siinai

With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery is the second full-length album released by musician Spencer Krug under the Moonface name. It is the follow-up to the 2011 album Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped and was released on April 17, 2012. The album is a result of the collaboration of Krug with the Finnish rock band Siinai. Krug met the band Joensuu 1685 while on tour with another of his bands, Wolf Parade, in 2009. Joensuu 1685 later became Siinai, and when they indicated to Krug that they were in need of a vocalist the project that would later become Heartbreaking Bravery was born.

<i>Julia with Blue Jeans On</i> 2013 studio album by Moonface

Julia with Blue Jeans On is the third album by musician Spencer Krug under the alias Moonface. It is the follow-up to 2012's With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery and features only Krug on vocals and piano. The album was released on 29 October 2013 by Jagjaguwar in the United States and by Paper Bag Records in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preoccupations</span> Canadian post-punk band

Preoccupations is a Canadian post-punk band from Calgary, Alberta, formed in 2012 under the name Viet Cong. The band consists of Matt Flegel, Scott Munro, Daniel Christiansen (guitar) and Mike Wallace (drums). Flegel and Wallace had previously been members of the band Women, which broke up in 2010. The group's musical style has been described as "labyrinthine post-punk".

References

  1. ↑ " Sunset Rubdown". AllMusic Biography by Kenyon Hopkin
  2. ↑ Rebecca Rayber (October 2007). In My Room. CMJ Network, Inc. pp. 13–. ISSN   1074-6978.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  3. ↑ "Sunset Rubdown Interview on Kevchino". kevchino.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  4. ↑ The Fader. Vol. Issues 38-39. Fader, Incorporated. 2006. p. 74.{{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
  5. ↑ "The Weirdness of Sunset Rubdown". Exclaim!, By Brock Thiessen Sep 17, 2007
  6. ↑ Filter Magazine, "First Impressions: Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover Archived 2007-08-27 at the Wayback Machine , July 16, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Sunset Rubdown to Reunite After 13 Years". Pitchfork. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  8. ↑ "Sunset Rubdown Announce First Album In 15 Years". Stereogum. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
Media
Other
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.