Combine the Victorious
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Combine the Victorious

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | INDIE

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | INDIE
Established on Jan, 2013
Duo Pop Electronic

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"The Garage CD of the Week"

Combine The Victorious has always captured something grand in its music, beginning a few years ago with an LP that referenced classic rock in a contemporary setting. Whittling down essentially to the duo of Isabelle Dunlop and Mark Henning, Combine The Victorious has refined its sound to a more focused keyboard based pop on its Crumbling Hearts CD. It's no less grand for this pop orientation as it sometimes recalls progressive-rock in a light framework. The singing is gently effective and the duo's sense of melody is sharp. Seductive.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/entertainment/Artists+walks+have+place+flourish/7951424/story.html#ixzz2LIS4yByY - The Province


"The Garage CD of the Week"

Combine The Victorious has always captured something grand in its music, beginning a few years ago with an LP that referenced classic rock in a contemporary setting. Whittling down essentially to the duo of Isabelle Dunlop and Mark Henning, Combine The Victorious has refined its sound to a more focused keyboard based pop on its Crumbling Hearts CD. It's no less grand for this pop orientation as it sometimes recalls progressive-rock in a light framework. The singing is gently effective and the duo's sense of melody is sharp. Seductive.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/entertainment/Artists+walks+have+place+flourish/7951424/story.html#ixzz2LIS4yByY - The Province


"Combine the Victorious bucks recent trends with Crumbling Hearts"

By Mike Usinger, November 1, 2012

Crumbling Hearts (Boutique Empire)

For whatever reason, there aren’t a lot of synth-pop artists these days hitting the dance floor in a mood that could loosely be defined as melancholy. At the moment, no one wants to be bummed out like Depeche Mode or Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark—they’re more into hitting the same glitzy, beautiful-people parties as Crystal Castles and the Golden Filter.

Combine the Victorious bucks that trend on its five-song Crumbling Hearts EP. The band’s name suggests one of those Hitler-haired Victory Records emover acts that were all the rage a half-decade ago. What you get, though, is retro-tinted dance music guaranteed to resonate with those who spend far too much time alone in their lonely bedrooms, watching a cellphone that never seems to ring.

Like, say, Depeche Mode, Combine the Victorious doesn’t sound completely fixated on wallowing in self-pity. As coolly detached as the duo—Isabelle Dunlop and Mark Henning—is, there’s an ethereal underside to the unrepentantly synthetic title track and the ghostly “Glasgow”. The EP’s standout is “California State of Mind”, on which an elastic bass line and squelch-city percussion serve as the backdrop for a sun-kissed reminiscence of a road trip to the state where it never seems to rain. Amazingly, Combine the Victorious manages to make that sound melancholy, although maybe not enough to make anyone forget OMD. - The Georgia Straight


"Combine the Victorious bucks recent trends with Crumbling Hearts"

By Mike Usinger, November 1, 2012

Crumbling Hearts (Boutique Empire)

For whatever reason, there aren’t a lot of synth-pop artists these days hitting the dance floor in a mood that could loosely be defined as melancholy. At the moment, no one wants to be bummed out like Depeche Mode or Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark—they’re more into hitting the same glitzy, beautiful-people parties as Crystal Castles and the Golden Filter.

Combine the Victorious bucks that trend on its five-song Crumbling Hearts EP. The band’s name suggests one of those Hitler-haired Victory Records emover acts that were all the rage a half-decade ago. What you get, though, is retro-tinted dance music guaranteed to resonate with those who spend far too much time alone in their lonely bedrooms, watching a cellphone that never seems to ring.

Like, say, Depeche Mode, Combine the Victorious doesn’t sound completely fixated on wallowing in self-pity. As coolly detached as the duo—Isabelle Dunlop and Mark Henning—is, there’s an ethereal underside to the unrepentantly synthetic title track and the ghostly “Glasgow”. The EP’s standout is “California State of Mind”, on which an elastic bass line and squelch-city percussion serve as the backdrop for a sun-kissed reminiscence of a road trip to the state where it never seems to rain. Amazingly, Combine the Victorious manages to make that sound melancholy, although maybe not enough to make anyone forget OMD. - The Georgia Straight


"Disagreements (review)"

Combine the Victorious - Disagreements (Boutique Empire)

Combine the Victorious released one of the better locally made CDs of the past two years, being at once epic-scaled in a 70's view and forward thinking. The success of that album on iTunes has prompted the band to make this EP available only in a digital format. Disagreements might be an accidentally insightful titles in that the record seems to be pulling in two different directions where the conventionally melodic butts heads with the darker, more provocative. As such, Disagreements isn't so much a progression as a sidestep. - Vancouver Province


"EP Review"

EP Review
Combine the Victorious
Disagreements EP (Boutique Empire)
by Nathan Pike

Isabelle Dunlop and Mark Henning, partners in both music and life, bring you a second collection of Combine the Victorious songs, this time in the form of an EP titled Disagreements. While a bit of a departure from their previous effort, they carry on with what they're good at and that is celebrating their art through a melting pot of emotive and sometimes gothic sounding music that is awash in keyboard manipulation and sonic textures that give it a well-polished sound.

Disagreements opens strongly with "Charmer", a dark instrumental pretending it came straight from the mid-80's UK pop songbook, complete with echo effect and sinister sounding bass line. From there we are taken through a collection of keyboard and vocal driven pop songs that are easy to digest and memorable in the best senses. Favourites include "Back In Style" which sounds a bit like Mother Mother with its vocal harmonizing and sanguine quality as well as closing track "Please", a big, guitar-laden rocker that rumbles in the chest and shows that much love and effort has gone into the recording of this latest outpouring of songs.

This may not be the EP of the year but it's still really good music that is worth a listen, and certainly earns a place in the 'regular rotation' pile of this kid's record collection.
- The Skinny Magazine


"The World Over"

Combine the Victorious opens its album with a synth line and a power chord that recalls The Who's "Who's Next" album. It's a deliberate attempt to make you recall a proven album/sound and makes the listener aware that Combine the Victorious is making a connection tying rock classicism to its own futuristic vision. Sure you can hear strains of Yes, INXS and other bands, but this is not revisionism or retro. The band has a strong collection of its own songs that openly exhibit an awareness of the past informed by the demand to be contemporary. It's and impressive album, one of the best by a Vancouver independent.

Tom Harrision, The Province, April 10-2007 - The Province


"Combine the Victorious"

Combine the Victorious opens its album with a synth line and a power chord that recalls The Who's Who's Next album. It's a deliberate attempt to make you recall a proven album/sound and makes the listener aware that Combine the Victorious is making a connection tying rock classicism to its own futuristic vision. Sure, you can hear strains of Yes, INXS and other bands, but this is not revisionism or retro. The band has a strong collection of its own songs that openly exhibit an awareness of the past informed by the demand to be contemporary. It's an impressive album, one of the best by a Vancouver independent. - Vancouver Province


"Combine the Victorious are having "a very fun life" in Vancouver"

A love for music starts off quite innocent. It begins when you’re young and you hear something catchy on the radio. That’s when you decide “yeah I like this.” From that point on the gateway is open and it doesn’t take long to flood. Soon you’re an addict and there’s no turning back. Music has become the cornerstone of your existence. Mark Henning and Isabelle Dunlop are two people very familiar with the compelling addiction that is music, and Combine the Victorious is their electronic fix.

Henning, former keyboardist for alternative rockers, Pure, back in the 90’s, is a renaissance musician. He’s one of those people who can walk into a jam session and show everyone a thing or two about their instruments. To form Combine the Victorious he’s teamed up with a local fashion designer by the name of Isabelle Dunlop, who just happens to have a very enviable voice. With help from a few friends in the industry, they’ve recorded two albums since their merger in 2005.

Their sound is a mashing and melding of electronic and indie-pop with both parties offering an even balance of vocals. Their voices fit together nicely and make for a charming little vibe. Their music is new and almost futuristic in a way. It can be dark and serious at times and very upbeat and fun at others. Henning’s experience as a musician and a studio producer permit the duo to create just about anything their collective minds can come up with.

If you’re in the mood to kick off the Olympics in style this Friday night, be sure to catch Combine the Victorious at Las Brasis Pub on Main Street. The show starts around 9pm and is sure to be loads of fun. Don’t worry; it’s far enough from downtown that you should be safe from all the road closures and never-ending lineups.

Steven Szary - examiner.com


"Combine the Victorious are having "a very fun life" in Vancouver"

A love for music starts off quite innocent. It begins when you’re young and you hear something catchy on the radio. That’s when you decide “yeah I like this.” From that point on the gateway is open and it doesn’t take long to flood. Soon you’re an addict and there’s no turning back. Music has become the cornerstone of your existence. Mark Henning and Isabelle Dunlop are two people very familiar with the compelling addiction that is music, and Combine the Victorious is their electronic fix.

Henning, former keyboardist for alternative rockers, Pure, back in the 90’s, is a renaissance musician. He’s one of those people who can walk into a jam session and show everyone a thing or two about their instruments. To form Combine the Victorious he’s teamed up with a local fashion designer by the name of Isabelle Dunlop, who just happens to have a very enviable voice. With help from a few friends in the industry, they’ve recorded two albums since their merger in 2005.

Their sound is a mashing and melding of electronic and indie-pop with both parties offering an even balance of vocals. Their voices fit together nicely and make for a charming little vibe. Their music is new and almost futuristic in a way. It can be dark and serious at times and very upbeat and fun at others. Henning’s experience as a musician and a studio producer permit the duo to create just about anything their collective minds can come up with.

If you’re in the mood to kick off the Olympics in style this Friday night, be sure to catch Combine the Victorious at Las Brasis Pub on Main Street. The show starts around 9pm and is sure to be loads of fun. Don’t worry; it’s far enough from downtown that you should be safe from all the road closures and never-ending lineups.

Steven Szary - examiner.com


Discography

"Crumbling Hearts" EP (2012) Boutique Empire

"Paros" - single (2012) Boutique Empire

"Glasgow - single" (2012) Boutique Empire

"California - single" (2011) Boutique Empire

"Workout Songs: Vol 1" - compilation (2010) Case/Martindale

"Rec:10 - compilation (2010) Boutique Empire

"Long Distance Compilation" (2009) Azyl Records

"Disagreements" (released Nov 25-2008) Boutique Empire

"The World Over" (released March 20-2007) independent

Photos

Bio

Combine the Victorious is currently writing their 2nd full length album while performing  at local gigs in Vancouver .

Combine the Victorious formed in Vancouver in 2007, growing from a spirited collaboration between husband and wife: record producer/engineer Mark R Henning, formerly of Pure and Blisterene, and fashion designer Isabelle Dunlop.

Already independently successful in their chosen fields, their instinct for collaboration was soon realized on their debut full-length, The World Over. The record received both critical and popular praise, including inclusion on compilations as far afield as Toronto and the Czech Republic! Lead single, Blue Kitchen went on to become the theme song for the television series About A Girl - one of 8 songs licensed from the record.

Drawing upon this initial success, Combine the Victorious extended to found the wider Boutique Empire collective, gathering Sex With Strangers, Gilles Zolty, Guilty About Girls and other artists connected with the Vancouver scene. Despite this wider commitment - Mark reuniting with Jordy Birch to form Guilty About Girls, and Isabelle singing with both Guilty About Girls and Sex With Strangers - Combine the Victorious continued to evolve.

Subsequent releases, Disagreements and Crumbling Hearts saw the band refining their musical identity, distilling to a powerful, evocative essence, perfectly captured on the standout track from the Crumbling Hearts, Glasgow, where sumptuous guitars weave in and out of Mark's wily groove, a perfect backdrop for Isabelle's melancholy lyric and heart-breaking melody.
Following a European tour as a duo to support the release of Crumbling Hearts, including showcases in Stockholm and London, Combine welcomed  members Justin "Juice" Kadis and Misty Reid, both formerly of the Yoko Casionos (Universal Music Canada).  The band  collaborated and performed as a 4 piece until January 2014 .Look out for the next exciting reincarnation of the band August 2014 to celebrate the prerelease of the album ! 

Band Members