As the Poets Affirm
Gig Seeker Pro

As the Poets Affirm

| INDIE

| INDIE
Band Pop Rock

Calendar

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

Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"Concert Review: As the Poets Affirm"

Ottawa’s As the Poets Affirm already have two albums of subtle, beguiling post-rock behind them and, as evidenced by a new sonic direction, they already have a stage presence and inventiveness that belies their age.

As for the Poets, the packed club showed the friends had definitely been amassed and, besides the sound mix that left almost every song with unnaturally bottom-heavy fuzz, they did not disappoint. Smartly putting the Keith Moon-style drummer centre stage, there was more energy than expected. This was helped by the crazy number of instruments, which included cello, trumpet, cornet, and a spectacular bass clarinet. Cramming that amount of instrumentation and seven members onto a small stage definitely created a sweaty inventiveness. Indeed, while the creative direction was usually all over the map, evidenced by the combination of dance-punk and free jazz in one song, there was a definite feeling that something interesting was brewing.

This band is young, ambitious and has musical talent to spare and while there are many bloody corpses in indie warfare that fit that description, one listen during a live show may instil that great, quiet hope that things, for once, will work out just fine. - Exclaim


"The Poets Find Their Groove"

Watching Ottawa seven-piece soundscapers As the Poets Affirm during their sound check gives one a good idea about how much work goes into sounding good. The "wow" band of 2005, which is set to off even higher in 2006 when its long-awaited third album drops, is crammed onto the Zaphod Beeblebrox stage. Adam Saikaley (who has a side DJ gig as Amathea) leans into a note on his saxophone. He steps too close to one of the many amplifiers and the house is drowned in wrenching feedback. The quiet one is branded a blowhard, everyone shuffles slightly to a more comfortable, ear-pleasing position and the sound check resumes.

It's worth the effort. Since adding bass player Alex Cairncross (Sleeping Pilot) to the lineup, the band has given its sensual storm a meatier feel, moving the group from classical structures into moody madrigals and orchestral chamber pop a la Arcade Fire. (Though the band's drummer Nathan Gara is sibling to AF drummer Jeremy Gara, they don't like to cash in that card, preferring to make their own waves -- save for when it comes to scoring U2 tickets).

Keeping time with seven players is a challenge, but now that the Poets have gone from staring at their shoes to finding their groove, seeing them play has become one of the best live experiences in Ottawa.

But it has yet to sink in with massive crowds, and the band that looks like the grade-school gifted class 10 years on is still contending with the geek label. That's what you get for cribbing song titles from literature and daring to have a cello player on stage. They're thinking about a lineup shuffle and a possible name change -- part of the reason that the third album is being held up. That and the fact that it's expensive to record at Toronto's Chemical Sound.

"People heard the nerdy post-rock stuff and have this image of a pretentious rock band," Gara says, animating his words with a kind of angular dancing that implies nerdom. (Secretly we all know he has rhythm, since he's, like, the drummer). "Much has changed and we want to get people into what we do." - The Ottawa Citizen


"Review: The Jaws That Bite, The Claws That Catch"

Apparently people forgot to tell the world about the burgeoning post-rock scene emerging in Ottawa. Along with forbears Kepler and peers My Dad vs. Yours, there are some beguiling things happening.

Expanding leaps and bounds beyond their debut, ...as the Poets affirm exude the confidence and deft touch that allows for great music, and indeed there is much to be celebrated. "Orange Car Crash" easily fills the room with tension, thanks to its undulating guitar and scattershot tempo, while "Portrait; Levity May Call" is a scorching cacophony of guitars that will have the most ardent GY!BE fans bobbing their heads in appreciation. Energy aside, "The Snick-Berry Switch" is an excercise in restrained beauty, allowing its lounging violin and shuffling drums to intoxicate the listener.

Of course, the proverbial snag comes with closer "Where Flowers Should Be," which starts promisingly and wonderfully explodes about five minutes in, and then just simply disappears abruptly. For an album of such planned splendour, they seem to crap out on the last track.

In the end, the poets show ambition beyond their means and are slowly but surely making a strong name. - Exclaim


"Review: The Jaws That Bite, The Claws That Catch"

Semi-apocalyptic instrumental crescendos that build from a rumbling dread to a sweaty cacophony, employing an impressive arsenal of instruments (including violin and some brass). In a similar vein to Godspeed, Explosions in the Sky, or even Red Stars Theory. I prefer the more melancholy portions to the “rock out” passages, but this is a pretty nice album on the whole. - Punk Planet


"Review: Awake"

Having already earned a reputation as one of Canada’s most intriguing post-rock outfits, As the Poets Affirm bolster such proclamations with the wholly inventive Awake. Ottawa’s proclivity for breeding stunningly precise hardcore bands has rubbed off on this six-member group, whose jazz-infused mathematical song structures are angst-ridden and innovative. “Awake Chaos” sheds its deceptively poppy skin for an ominous breakdown and “The Suburbs of a Secret” leaves a Steady Diet of Nothing-era Fugazi groove behind for an explosive time signature transition and horns gone wild meltdown. Vocally and musically, June of 44 is conjured up for the gritty, off-centre “From Drenched and Dripping Apple Trees,” while the band’s confrontational nature shines through on the opening stomps of “We Represent Melpomene,” which ultimately melds into a glitch-y, yet pleasant, piano- and horn-led excursion. Such instrumentation is seldom employed in any subtle manner — every layer of sound hits the listener with full-bodied vigour and intent. As dynamic songs like the brooding “Carved Face” demonstrate, the results can be dizzying and electrifying. Front to back, Awake is a stunning achievement by As the Poets Affirm, great contributors to this country’s eclectic prog punk network.(Zunior) - Exclaim


Discography

Awake (Zunior) - 2007
The Jaws That Bite, The Claws That Catch (Independent) - 2004
I Want To Tell My Heart To You but I Cannot Say English (Independent) - 2004

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

AS THE POETS AFFIRM have returned to the Canadian music scene with their third and most amibitous full-length release to date. AWAKE, the anticipated follow-up to 2004's "The Jaws That Bite, The Claws That Catch", blends the complex orchestration of their previous albums with the raw inventiveness of their live performances.

Recorded at Toronto's Chemical Sound (Death From Above 1979, Weakerthans, Constantines), AWAKE is already being heralded as a "stunning achievement" by critics. It was officially released through Zunior.com

Formed in 2001, AS THE POETS AFFIRM have recieved international acclaim for their first two releases and have performed alongside The Dears, Sunset Rubdown, Grizzly Bear, and Apostle of Hustle.