Mother Mother

Artist Information

Biography

EUREKA, the third studio album from Canadian avante pop quintet MOTHER MOTHER, is the band's most tenacious and undaunted record to date. Slated for a Last Gang Records worldwide release on March 15, 2011, EUREKA offers up eccentric, hook laden pop-meets-rock songs housed in creative arrangements with clever lyrics and intricate harmonies.

Produced by Mother Mother's own Ryan Guldemond and mixed by Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Franz Ferdinand, Elvis Costello), the 12 new tracks that comprise the album surpass their predecessors with a greater sense of cohesion, exuberance and overall sonic depth. Guldemond, the group's chief songwriter and front man describes the album as "a vivid depiction of where the band's at right now, which is the height of our musicianship, song writing and strength as collaborators".

In the signature Mother Mother animal themed vein, EUREKA's cover art portrays a techni-coloured Lion, baring its teeth. Female vocalist / synth player, Molly Guldemond (she and Ryan are siblings), is the resident artist in charge. "Our new songs are bolder and more animated, so I chose to use vibrant neons and brighter colours than ever before," the multi-talented artist/musician reports. "The word 'eureka' suggests epiphany and exciting discovery. The lion represents the animal instinct in us to pursue these breakthroughs; a predatory sense to hunt for deeper truth".

Although principally an upbeat collection of songs, the dark lyrical tone, a signature element of the MM package, is alive and well in the album's wordplay. "The Stand”, EUREKA's incredibly addictive lead off single is an urban hip hop tinged tale of a "misanthrope who corrupts the minds of two young school girls" as described by Ryan, who wrote most of the song in his head as a "silly rap style thing to bide time in transit".

The album's first track, “Chasing It Down”, laments the demise of the newness in things, while wearing the skin of an epic, Deep Purple-esque rocker, complete with a formidable organ hook. The quintessential slow song, “Born In A Flash”, might just be the band at its most haunting and morose ever as this piano driven heavyweight marches through a versatile landscape of lush strings, choral beegees, and a killer back beat and bass line. “Simply Simple” is just that, a perfect advocacy of the 'less is more' doctrine, while the dreamy “Getaway”, with Molly singing lead in her unique, gentle timbre, is the plight of an escapist.

With the release of EUREKA, Mother Mother is definitely poised to reach ground breaking heights and milestones, but that isn't to say an impressive legacy of international acclaim and accolades have not already been sung. Their quirky, experimental debut, TOUCH UP, although not a mainstream success, perked the ears of many and marked the band as one to watch. O MY HEART, the band's stellar sophomore release, was a more focused effort which received rave reviews, strongly securing Mother Mother as a relevant act in North America and abroad. Coming in at #1 in campus radio in Canada for 6 weeks straight, O MY HEART was also rated the top 5 best overall album of 2008 on iTunes Canada, not to mention the 6th most added album on CMJ's Top 20 on release week.

Their first brush with mainstream radio success was that of the single “Body Of Years” which came in the top 10 at Canadian Alternative Rock and Modern Rock radio, and also landed them two 2009 Casby Award Nominations and a 2010 Canadian Radio Music Award Nomination. Across the pond, critics and radio programmers alike continued in the trend of Mother Mother fandom. The band's title track and first UK Single “O My Heart” went as far as capturing Record Of The Week on BBC Radio 2’s Radcliffe & Maconie Show, subsequently garnering much support from Radio 2 and Radio 6 in the UK as well as inclusion in Q Magazine’s Q50 for July 2010.

“Musically fearless, melodically inspired Canadians at their envelope-pushing best", says Q. The notable Spin Magazine wrote "Mother Mother coos lovely boy-girl harmonies, masking their dire lyrics while slyly exulting in the cleansing blaze."

Mother Mother's notoriety stems not only from their knack at making great records, but also due in large part to their remarkable live show. On stage, this group of five delivers a big sound, executing pristine vocal harmonies while utilizing a variety of multi-instrumental talents. Ryan, wielding rhythm and lead guitar, sings lead in his unique, brazen falsetto, while the flanking vocal support of Jasmin Parkin and Molly, who both take on key and synth duties, complete the front line. Jeremy Page on bass and horns, and Ali Siadat on drums and electronics round out the rhythm section to provide the music with an unbending backbone and multidimensional soundscape.

No stranger to life on the road, Mother Mother’s relentless touring has built a large and dedicated fan base. They've graced the stage with such artists as Weezer, Pearl Jam, Tokyo Police Club, The Decemberists and Spoon. They’ve toured with Canadian rock institutions Sam Roberts and Matthew Good, and have performed on a diverse array of festival/showcase stages including SXSW, CMJ, The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Pop Montreal, V-Fest, Ottawa Blues Fest, Ed Fest, Rifflandia Music Festival, both the Vancouver and Montreal International Jazz Festivals, and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games concert series LiveCity.

Since the band's conception as an acoustic folk trio in 2005, they've since become a force to be reckoned with, reputed as an act who challenges the conventions of popular music, cultivating a sound all their own. With substantial headway made in the US and Europe, Mother Mother continue to build on that momentum with EUREKA. Keep an eye out for them in early 2011, it's going to be a big year for Mother Mother.

Instrumentation

Ryan Guldemond - Guitar & Vocals
Molly Guldemond - Synth & Vocals
Jasmin Parkin - Keys & Vocals
Jeremy Page - Bass & Horns
Ali Siadat - Percussion

Discography

2007 - Touch Up (Last Gang Records)

2008 - O My Heart (Last Gang Records)

2011 - EUREKA (Last Gang Records)

Links

• MySpace
• Facebook
• Twitter

Audio

• The Stand
  Listen  
• Body Of Years
  Listen  
• O My Heart
  Listen  

Lyrics

• The Stand
• Body Of Years
• O My Heart

Video

Body Of Years

Photo Gallery

Press

• Q Review & Q50 - July 2010 [+ Show ]
  

  Album rating: 4/5 stars "Pitching somewhere between the momentous swirl of MGMT and the musical a...Album rating: 4/5 stars
  
  "Pitching somewhere between the momentous swirl of MGMT and the musical adventurism of Arcade Fire, Mother Mother merge enormous keyboards, folksy guitars, horns and multi-layered vocals, all underpinned by a love of pop. Thus, Body features Ryan Guldemond's pleading vocals, crashing drums, celestial harmonies and self-loathing lyrics, all without losing its melodic flair, while Ghosting is heart-tugging loveliness. O My Heart itself shows they can rock when the mood takes them and, just when it seems as though they've touched every base, there's even a country guitar solo on Arms Tonite." - John Aizlewood
  
  
  Q50 - The Essential Tracks To Download This Month...
  "O My Heart" (single) - "Musically fearless, melodically inspired Canadians at their envelope-pushing best. Clattering drums, pounding rhythms and heavenly harmonies coalesce on this rocking gem."

• O My Heart Review - June 23, 2010 [+ Show ]
  

  Album: O My Heart Rating: 8/10 "Vancouver quintet Mother Mother arrive almost feeling like the f...Album: O My Heart
  Rating: 8/10
  
  "Vancouver quintet Mother Mother arrive almost feeling like the finished article. That isn't to say they are some sort of super band, covering every base and providing every satisfaction which anyone could expect from an indie pop-rock outfit. Rather, it's difficult to think of an album as melodically and compositionally assured as O My Heart being the work of relative newcomers, this their second album after 2005's self-released Mother (later re-jigged and re-issued as Touch Up). In fact O My Heart is possibly the most effortlessly bright melodic indie-rock record since The New Pornographers' Twin Cinema, a band to whom Mother Mother bare more than a passing resemblance, but more of that later. There's a fish hook on the cover (with a freaky-eyed fish attached I should add) and there are hooks aplenty inside.
  
  Case in point, look no further than the opening title-track. It's fairly typical of the album in the way its catchy melody glosses over a darker core. Although the brooding bassline, ominous synth washes and prickly guitar find Mother Mother at just about their moodiest, the rhythm in frontman Ryan Guldemond's vocals and the buoyancy provided by the honeyed female backing keeps this light and catchy. It's not that together Mother Mother are technically astounding vocal harmonisers. Even with three vocalists singing they don't cover a great range. In fact Ryan Guldemond often tends towards a Britt Daniel-style falsetto that puts him close in range to his female bandmates, resulting in a sort of androgynous glaze gleaming with inter-band chemistry, which is perhaps where they most resemble the New Pornographers, with whom they also have in common producer Howard Redekopp.
  
  This is evident on album highlight 'Burning Pile'. A mid-paced stomp that descends into a string heavy spiral of a chorus which could potentially be cloyingly melodramatic, it's instead rendered in rather more arch tones by both the high-pitched harmonies and some neat musical manoeuvres; a mocking brass squeal here, a frenzied tinkling of ivories there, a high violin line leading into an unexpected key change, a sudden pause followed by a group shout. It's these sort of musical details that O My Heart bristles with which make it a continually rewarding listen despite the fairly standard guitar/bass/drums/synth line-up.
  
  While Mother Mother could almost have relied on their excellent knack for melody, there also is enough textural variation to keep things interesting. 'Wisdom' begins with shuffling acoustic fingerpicking ghosted by warm brass, succeeded by jazzy piano chords and a simplistic stomping drumbeat. 'Body' begins with squalls of discordant violin eventually hitting upon an urgent see-sawing motion for the taut verses before easing into a beautiful drift as Guldemond bemoans "I've grown tired of this body, cumbersome and heavy body" on the album's first moment of out and out beauty. This is quickly followed by the gorgeous acoustic shuffle of 'Ghosting' with a chorus which showcases the vocalists' ability to diverge harmonically, Guldemond taking the lead while the girls deliver a backing of breathy "aaahs".
  
  The album's anthemic highlight however is the Pornographers-esque power-pop of 'Arms Tonite', wherein a deceased lover swoons over passing away in his/her lover's arms. Some may find the conclusion that "It was nice" to be a little too twee for their taste. Indeed it's tempting to suggest that irresistible melodies and brilliant harmonies actual make O My Heart a bit too much of a sugar rush (see the somewhat nauseating single 'Hay Loft'), where the precise pop execution often disguises the sentiments of songs. In fact even the more ponderously paced 'Miles' sounds rather like 'Fill My Little World' by annoying pop extraordinaires The Feeling.
  
  To a degree the record hits you at a gut level with its melodies and dynamics, the lyrics being something of a secondary consideration. However, Guldemond does exhibit a knack for skewed world play on several tracks, most notably 'Wrecking Ball' ("I made a wreck out of my hand, I put it through the wall, I made a fist and not a hand, Call me a reckless wrecking ball"), although the darker themes are somewhat obscured by the chirpy melody.
  
  'O My Heart' is an album people will love just for making them feel good, without giving any great deal of thought as to why, which is exactly what good pop music should be capable of doing. Should you like, there's a darker heart beating underneath." - Neil Ashman

• Hay Loft Single Review - June 2010 Issue [+ Show ]
  

  "Hay Loft" (single) - "Modern pop, it's a schizoid beast - as perfectly exhibited here on 'Hay Loft'..."Hay Loft" (single) - "Modern pop, it's a schizoid beast - as perfectly exhibited here on 'Hay Loft', the new single from Canadian outfit Mother Mother. After beginning with some crunchy indie guitar pop (which sounds a bit like Metric), the track is suddenly invaded by what sounds like a child gang of mini M.I.A's attempting to sing what sounds suspiciously like her track 'Galang' all over it. It's a complete curveball move, landing the track right on the irritating/infectious cusp which hallmarks much true pop." - Stuart Gadd

• Mother Mother ready for indie domination - May 14, 2009 Issue [+ Show ]
  

  Concert Review Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC - May 9, 2009 (Headlining) "If you don’t work ...Concert Review
  Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC - May 9, 2009 (Headlining)
  
  "If you don’t work at Zulu Records, listen to the Peak, or make regular pilgrimages to SXSW, you’ve probably never heard of Mother Mother, but you should and you will! Judging by last Saturday’s sold-out show at the Commodore, the Vancouver five-piece is only one Spin cover, iPod commercial, or David Bowie endorsement away from worldwide indie-rock domination—or, at the very least, a Juno sweep.
  
  ...
  
  Conversely, the second Mother Mother hit the stage, you knew you were about to bank some future bragging rights. The highly melodic, Pixies-esque cabaret-pop band is only four years in the making, but the way frontman Ryan Guldemond and company commanded the stage, it was like they’d been playing there since Drew Burns ran the joint (when, in fact, they probably weren’t even born yet).
  
  Sandwiched between keyboardist Jasmin Parkin and sister Molly Guldemond, Ryan eased into the set with some of Mother Mother’s more-subdued material before unleashing the group’s insanely catchy campus hits. And thanks to the band’s sophomore album, O My Heart, there were several of those to choose from, including the insanely catchy, head-bopping, heavy-hearted title track. Wisely, though, Mother Mother made sure the crowd-pleasers were spread throughout the set. A few songs in, we were treated to “Ghosting”, a tender ballad for the timid stalker in all of us. A little later, Molly took the lead for “Hayloft”, an intensely hyper dance song that got the club’s famed floor bouncing.
  
  After that, Ryan was back in the lead. As the principal songwriter, the charismatic and talented bandleader could probably go it alone and be a respected rock star in his own right. But luckily for us, he’s a team player, because what makes Mother Mother’s sound so damn sweet are the girl-boy harmonies—and this is especially true live, when Ryan and his fellow songbirds not only get their Kim Deal and Black Francis grooves on, but also prove there’s a new kid on the art-rock block.
  
  Maybe it was just me, but by the end of the show, I was thinking “Arcade Fire who?” Canada’s hottest postpunk indie act has officially arrived." - Sarah Rowland
  

• Mother Mother sweeps Supermarket on CMW Day 2 - March 13, 2009 [+ Show ]
  

  Concert Review: CMW Showcase - The Supermarket - Toronto, ON - March 12, 2009 "...When [We Are T...Concert Review:
  CMW Showcase - The Supermarket - Toronto, ON - March 12, 2009
  
  "...When [We Are The City] wrapped, standing room was at a premium as Mother Mother fans clustered at centre stage to await the vivacious band, noted for its vocal harmonies, playful lyrics and robust instrumentation. It's been but three months since MM announced the departure of vocalist Debra-Jean Creelman from the band and only one-and-a-half since announcing her replacement, Jasmin Parkin, but you'd never notice the recent change, considering the exceptionally coordinated set.
  
  The five members emerged, all clad in black and red, from red skinny jeans to black median-print leggings and black-and-red leg warmers. The visual sensation soon matched the musical, as Mother Mother seamlessly transitioned between songs from 2007's Touch Up and 2008's O My Heart, barely taking a breath in between. The opening riff of "Hayloft" drew instant approval from the audience who sang along ("My daddy's got a gun, my daddy's got a gun, my daddy's got a gun, you better run!"). The veins in lead vocalist Ryan Guldemond's neck shot out as he sang lyrics from "Verbatim" ("I wear women's underwear, then I go to strike a pose in my full-length mirror"). And before leaving the stage, the band closed with an extended version of title track "O My Heart", the same level of energy propelling them as when they walked on the stage." - Brian Coulton
  

• Songs You Need to Download Now - November 2008 Issue [+ Show ]
  

  "Burning Pile" (single) - "On this lullaby about an unfolding nightmare, the Canadian indie-pop quin..."Burning Pile" (single) - "On this lullaby about an unfolding nightmare, the Canadian indie-pop quintet coo lovely boy-girl harmonies, masking their dire lyrics while slyly exulting in the cleansing blaze."

• Recently Reviewed - October 2008 Issue [+ Show ]
  

  Album: O My Heart "O My Heart is a worthy name for Vancouver quintet Mother Mother’s second relea...Album: O My Heart
  
  "O My Heart is a worthy name for Vancouver quintet Mother Mother’s second release. The follow-up to 2007’s Touch Up, this record takes the lyrical genius of the first, pushes it beyond all expectations and then pairs it with the band’s trademarked intertwining vocal harmonies. If that combination doesn’t make your musical-loving heart skip a beat, I don’t know what will. Brilliant instrumentation might have another thing to do with your possible impending cardiac arrest while listening to O My Heart. The strings that kick off "Body” not only match perfectly with the staccato voices of brother/sister combo Ryan and Molly Guldemond, and band mate Debra-Jean Creelman but they also take into account the song’s subject matter of feeling completely disjointed and awkward in a body that’s holding you back. And Mother Mother are like that in a sense: seemingly held back by physical restraints yet managing to make their eccentricities work in the most surprising ways." - Jill Langlois
  

• O My Heart Review - September 17, 2008 [+ Show ]
  

  Album: O My Heart Rating: 8/10 "Manic, moving, and, above all, mellifluous, Mother Mother’s O My...Album: O My Heart
  Rating: 8/10
  
  "Manic, moving, and, above all, mellifluous, Mother Mother’s O My Heart is a unique specimen in the genus of indie rock: it deals with big issues like existential dread, death, and love without resorting to maudlin clichés, and it gives the listener loads of pleasure in the meantime.
  
  A five-piece from Vancouver, Mother Mother, helmed by guitarist/vocalist Ryan Guldemond, sound like they came of age on a steady diet of the Pixies, Mozart, and William Burroughs. The influence of the Pixies is especially strong on the opener, “O My Heart”, which finds bassist Jeremy Page kicking things off with a line stolen straight from Kim Deal’s playbook. The deeply enjoyable “Body of Years” can also credit a good deal of its appeal to the Pixies, as nearly the whole band gets in on the act. Guldemond himself does it best, channeling a slightly more sane version of Black Francis as he sings, “All the remains of a cadaver of days / I keep hidden away / Keep them there just in case.”
  
  The dark subject matter stands in contrast to the sonic tone of O My Heart, which is kaleidoscopically melodic and buoyed by the honey sweet accompanying vocals of Molly Guldemond (Ryan’s sister) and Debra-Jean Creelman. Thematically, O My Heart is all perverse glee, punctuated by descents into sea-deep sadness. It spends much of its time lamenting the shortcomings of both life and those of us stuck living it. Take these opening lines from “Try to Change”:
  
  “Try to change, I try to change / I make a list of all the ways to change my ways / But I stay the same, I stay the same / I will try and try to change but I just stay the same ... / In a decadent age I try to change all my decadent ways but I just can’t help but stay the same.”
  
  The repetitiveness of the lyrics illustrate the futility of the narrator’s efforts while building to a payoff that, of course, ends up just being more of the same. These kind of clever writing tricks would probably be a little irritating were it not for the angelic presence of Molly Guldemond and Jean-Creelman. The appeal of their soft, cooing vocals can’t be overstated, and without them, most of these songs would collapse under their own heavy, compositionally complex weight. The duo holds these songs aloft, though, especially darker ones like “Arms Tonight”, a message from a dead woman to her still-living lover—the sunniest sounding song on the album.
  
  It’s that kind of witty juxtaposition, along with Mother Mother’s uncommonly keen sense of melody, which sets the band apart from the dozens and dozens of other Canadian indie rock bands that have emerged over the past decade. Mother Mother have an appreciation for irony that goes well beyond words. It’s similar to the kind of thing They Might Be Giants did during their best years, circa Lincoln and Flood, addressing bleak themes in a cheery way that belies the inherent despair. Mother Mother aren’t quite as lyrically smart as They Might Be Giants, but as composers, they boast as much ingenuity as the Giants or any other band cut from the same cloth. Sure, certain moments sound lifted straight from Doolittle. But as T.S. Eliot said, “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.” " - Matt Gonzales
  

• O My Heart Review - September 2008 Issue [+ Show ]
  

  "O My Heart is an impressive sophomore effort from Vancouver-based band Mother Mother. Three singers..."O My Heart is an impressive sophomore effort from Vancouver-based band Mother Mother. Three singers harmonizing and singing catchy, folk-infused indie pop might seems a bit gratuitous but they not only pull it off, they make it sound necessary... A truly genre-free band, Mother Mother are able to effortlessly go from honky-tonk ditty to Broadway musical anthem. Co-producer Howard Reddekopp (the New Pornographers, Tegan and Sara) has fathered another gem." - Caecilia Hubbard

• CD Of The Week: One Catchy, Brilliant Debut - February 20, 2007 Issue [+ Show ]
  

  Album: Touch Up Rating: 4/5 stars " "I don't want the same disease that everybody's got these da...Album: Touch Up
  Rating: 4/5 stars
  
  " "I don't want the same disease that everybody's got these days," sings Ryan Guldemond, finding a new lyrical form for an old theatrical equation: fear + vanity = tragicomedy. Mother Mother, a brilliantly playful pop quintet from Vancouver, covers all the big subjects (love, death, transvestitism) on their debut disc, and always finds the dark fun in them.
  
  This band is ready to dive down any rabbit hole that a turn of phrase (musical or lyrical) may open up. The telegraphic Dirty Town veers sharply but smoothly into old-time country mode as the voices ponder a return to the farm. The motivation for a Hawaiian cabaret break near the song's end is a bit more obscure. I think they did it because they can.
  
  Polynesia's chorus sounds like it could be written in some South Pacific language, but it's all English, chopped up syllabically and stuttered into an artful nya-nya to those left behind when the cruise ship sails. The Andrews Sisters harmonization (by Guldemond's sister Molly and Debra-Jean Creelman) keep things cozy even when the band is poking fun at its subjects from arm's length.
  
  The disc is chock full of catchy themes (just you try not to get stuck on the chorus of Verbatim), and arrangements that wax or wane as the moment requires. Legs Away, a song about hanging around, begins with a front-porch, finger-picking accompaniment, then blows up into a high-stepping reverie that shows that even idleness can inflate the ego. The melodramatic tango Love And Truth works itself up to a swaggering lament that collapses under the strain of being too witty to be left alone and lonely.
  
  The members of Mother Mother (including bassist and reed-player Jeremy Page and drummer Kenton Loewen) have all done time in classical music or jazz, and it shows in their rhythm and free-range instrumentation. Their disc, made with help by New Pornographers alumni Kurt Dahle and Howard Redekopp, is tasty from end to end, and more proof that the best brainy pop these days comes from British Columbia." - Robert Everett-Green

Setlist

2 hours of original music

The Stand
Baby Don't Dance
Calm Me Down
Chasing It Down
Oleander
Original Spin
Problems
Simply Simple
Aspiring Fires
Dirty Town
Polynesia
Little Hands
Angry Sea
Verbatim
Neighbour
Touch Up
O My Heart
Burning Pile
Body of Years
Try to Change
Body
Ghosting
Hay Loft
Wrecking Ball
Arms Tonite

Basic Requirements

Calendar