Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Animal Collective, The pixies, Tom waits, The arcade fire, Daniel Johnston, kings of leon, the mom and dads, old crow medicine show, neil young, david bowie, misfits, wolf parade, danny elfman, bright eyes, lots more...
"The Music Box is the sort of band every town needs: a band that they can believe in because they’re a band they understand. They’re a little ramshackle cause they get a little carried away. They get carried away because they believe fully in the dense poetics they cram into their songs’ simple structures. They seem like guys you’d know. Maybe even guys you are. You believe in them cause they make the kind of music that makes you want to make music. Tyler Stoddart sings like a disenchanted, distinctly Canadian Bob Dylan, (no doubt a debt owed to a love for Win Butler). His infallibly valid dissatisfaction with the persistence of time, suburban ennui, and insufferable boobs like Peter Popoff give his songs a weight easily lost by those who try to over intellectualize their source subjects and end up whiny children instead of observant critics. Stoddart is believable and comprehendible. His band are a flying burrito gang of reformed punks who’ve turned to acoustic guitars, b-benders, and Hammond organs to wrangle their still reckless rock n’ roll. Their first two EP’s give a clear impression of who this band is.
The Music Box EP
Their first EP is, ostensibly, their “country” album. It comes out swinging with “Vampire Blues”, a rollicking coulda-been-a-Cramps-song were if not for Stoddart’s classic slacker drawl, “I can change my ways…” Next up is “New Year’s Morning”, which perhaps better exemplifies the band’s strengths, particularly Steve Sloane whose crisp Stratocaster leads are pure Robbie Robertson. Bassist Dylan F. Bravener also shines here, digging the grooves deep with peppy, bouncing soul. Drummer Kyle Taylor, a dervish at the quietest of moments, manages to keep his boundless energy in check, allowing Bravener and Sloane to keep the song rolling.
“Peter Popoff, You Are The Anti-Christ” is not only the best title on the album, it’s also Stoddart’s lyrical peak, manically indicting a prick who exploits the very people he purports to be the saviour of.
“The thief stands high on a mountain of shit
Built by the senile and all the nitwits
You’re contemptible and empty to sell such a fraud
If it’s riches you want go in business with God.”
But the best song on the album belongs to Steve Sloane whose “Lives & Blood” manages to be funny, sad, and beautiful. Like a long-lost Royal City b-side to pretty up the place before closing out the album. The anthemic “Song About A Painting” with its “Let it all shine!” call to arms is a perfect closer, before Stoddart officially ends the album with a shy and quiet “That was pretty good.”
The Dead Hands EP
The rock n’ roll album is an immediate contrast, (despite the presence of Elsa Jayne’s back-ups and the odd flourish of banjo). The acoustics have been cased, the distortion pedals stomped, and the keys are mixed way up. Gone are the simple song structures, replaced by swift tempo shifts and soaring gang-vocals. An affinity for Arcade Fire dramatics is evident, but not obvious. “Lie Across The Road Pt. II” is a bracing, battering-ram opener, fit for riots and dancing. Bravener is the star here, hollering back-up vocals and leading the charge with laser-gun synths. Next, they revisit “Song About A Painting”, further fleshing out its melody with Elsa Jayne’s sugar-sweet back-ups and the odd moan of lap-steel guitar.
The greatest triumph of the album is certainly closer, “The Bridge”, which manages to be a creepy, banjo-led psychological journey, (in the vein of Bone Machine-era Tom Waits), and a marching, pulsing rock n’ roll epic. Stoddart murmurs his dark nursery rhyme as the rest of the band slowly grows around him, eventually crashing into a massive climax. A fitting way to end any album.
So really the two sides of The Music Box aren’t so different. Both are passionate, poetic, and versatile. Both dig on the banjo. Perhaps most importantly, neither sound of a certain time or place. Stoddart and co. have written a pair of albums full of stories and sounds that will sound vital and believable for years to come. It’s music that’s genuine and pure and it sounds pretty fucking good to me."
---Pat Finch
A link to a feature story in the KW Record about us. http://news.therecord.com/article/394971
The Laurier Paper speaks kindly once again:
http://www.cordweekly.com/cordweekly/news?news_id=1911
Laurier Newspaper speaks kindly of The Music Box:
http://cordweekly.com/cordweekly/myweb.php?hls=10034&news_id=1242
For booking please email us at: the-music-box@hotmail.com
hey guys we're from the area and just posted some new songs give us a listen and let us know what you think we'd love to open for you guys sometime if you ever need an opener in or around KW peace for now -randomfamily
hey guys i just had a dream that you guys were practicing music and i was singing with you and it was fun and we were all jumping around and we played a paramore song! haha! it was awesome :)
hey guys, i got a copy of each of your EP's when Tyler and Dylan were here with the Lungs, and they're both incredible if you guys ever decide to tour the states, make sure to let me know and i can set you up with a show in Jamestown for sure -Dan
We were equally as enthused about your set. We would definitely be interested in a show trade. We aren't going to be doing much in T.O. until we release our new E.P. in the spring. We will keep in touch to set something up.
