BISHOP MOROCCO play Wrongbar tonight (Thursday, March 8). See listing. Rating: NNN
Four years ago, Toronto boys Bishop Morocco released their self-titled debut as a duo. Their latest EP reflects their expansion into a quartet: parts, layers and themes are denser on these six tracks.
An icy riff heralds a gloomy bass line on opening track Bleeds. It’s immediately reminiscent of Interpol, which is to say it sounds like Joy Division, and Bishop Morocco roll with this pastiche while maintaining a unique, dreamy sensibility through sweet, distanced vocals. The title track’s wonky, ear-bending guitar lines coalesce into a candied palette, building to a melodic zenith before dropping out abruptly for the robotic malaise of Colonial Man. A bleary procession of synths warm up A Fine Line, a blank dirge about loneliness.
Adamantly nostalgic, though sometimes a bit too bored-sounding, Old Boys’ spacey mix of airy Britpop and bleak new-wave bounce stays grounded in 2012 thanks to Bishop Morocco’s propensity for power melodies.
Top track: Old Boys
