In spite of all of his talent, skill and high-end social networking, Jeremy Gara likely marvels at his success, which is at least somewhat inexplicable.
Before he took over on drums in Arcade Fire (in 2004, after their debut, Funeral, blew up), Gara was a post-hardcore weirdo music kid from Ottawa who played in great bands like Kepler and Weights & Measures. He was also, then and still, a constant collaborator with Michael Feuerstack, contributing multiple instruments and production to Feuerstack’s folk-based pop-rock whenever their schedules aligned in their adopted home of Montreal.
That city is so present on Gara’s new drone and sound collage album, Limn. It’s a riveting jolt back to a dystopian reality where he probably feels more comfortable than in his day job or filling in for Fred Armisen on drums in the 8G Band on NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers. Though he’s part of Montreal’s internationally renowned indie rock cohort (Wolf Parade, Grimes, the Unicorns, etc), here he taps into Constellation Records’ comparatively shadowy part of Mile End.
Limn is an exploration of free-form noise and, as such, has virtually no crossover appeal. Its design and contents (with the possible exception of Tangles) are decidedly un-melodic and will unsettle more people than they please. It seems like something Gara had to make, liberating a recurring sonic urge trapped in his head. He’s not known for esoteric work of his own (though Sarah Neufeld and Colin Stetson are past collaborators), but we can trust him not to be weird for weirdness’s sake.
Far, far away from the gloss of network television and Grammy Award ceremonies, Limn finds Gara shrouding himself in alienating textures that hum and pulse eternally.
Top track: The Dupe
