Mount Chimaera was said to be the birthplace of the Chimera, a mythological fire-breathing monster in ancient Greek folklore. According to legend, the Chimera had the body of a lioness, and the head of a goat, with a snake for a tail. Much like the myth that inspired its name, Brasstronaut’s debut full length possesses a fantastical nature. Mount Chimaera paints some vibrant pictures, all lush with jazz know-how and pop sensibility. The originality of that combination is rivalled only by its surprising accessibility.
Brasstronaut sprung onto the radar of bloggers and critics alike with 2008’s Old World Lies EP (QRO review). Since then, the Vancouver four-piece has grown to include well-known Vancouver guitarist/radio personality Tariq Hussain, as well as clarinettist Sam Davidson. Their addition sees the introduction of guitars and woodwind instruments, and the band’s sound has broadened accordingly.
Mt. Chimaera is an album built on fleeting love, bitter regret, and universal pain, with each musician taking the emotion of a song in a separate direction. "Insects" delves perhaps furthest into this dark environment, with solemn strings tracing a dark ambiance that sad piano and wounded vocals fill in the spaces of. The murmur of a clarinet joins a trumpet’s lament as the cherry on top of this poignant song, as vocalist Edo Van Breemen pleads for a release of some sort.
"Hearts Trompet" on the other hand, sees a laid back, relatively upbeat number that belongs on some porch in Alabama, turn into an infectious ballad complete with pop hooks, orchestral synchronicity, and one heck of a build-up. Meanwhile, it’s the slow, gentle fade out on "Ravan" that endears the listener to the song.
Despite the sadness and regret at the album’s core, the sound remains ever intriguing and engaging. ‘Intense’ is not a word to sum up the sound of Brasstronaut, but if you endeavour to pick just one, it should be ‘ethereal’. The album focuses on the organized chaos of each member reacting to emotion in his or her own way, as a backdrop for the collective emotion of any given song. The result? Mt. Chimaera delivers an eight pack of wonderfully eerie, entirely consuming alt-pop gems.
MP3 Stream: "Hearts Trompet"
