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Concert reviews Music

Bart might be our favourite new Toronto band

BART and THE PINECONES at the Piston, Thursday, January 21. Rating: NNNN


Could Bart be my favourite new Toronto band? Just maybe.

In the cozy Piston, a full house took in mostly new sounds from the progressive-rock-leaning five-piece whose left-field songwriting, top-notch musicianship and high falsetto vocals (shared between Chris Shannon and Nathan Vanderwielen) occasionally bring to mind Montreal’s long defunct Local Rabbits… and King Crimson. 

Songs are packed with ideas and stacked with vocal and guitar layers. Three guitars deliver the goods alongside drummer-about-town Jay Anderson and bassist Andrew Scott. A new album will be arriving via Idée Fixe Records on April 8, and the fresh material is just as or even more adventurous as that on 2014’s excellent Bart By Bart EP. Possibly heavier, too. There were a few surprisingly huge moments. 

Of course retro-pop headliners The Pinecones aren’t too shabby themselves. Brent Randall dropped his name from the band name several years ago just as guitarist Paul Linklater assumed a more prominent role. That’s still the case. At the Piston, Linklater tossed off licks and solos like the seasoned pro he is, and contributed as much vocally as the more retiring Randall, who also plucked out McCartney-inspired bass lines. 

Despite their talents, and a lead vocal cameo by Ron Sexsmith during a cover of Wings’ Listen To What The Man Said, the set proved that Bart are a hard act to follow.

carlag@nowtoronto.com | @carlagillis  

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