Cinderpop

Cinderpop has done two things with its Manic Sparkles. One is to toughen its sound. The 14 tracks generally are more aggressive and occasionally pushy. Two is to expand it. There are strings and woodwinds and a broad use of keyboards. The result is a richness that Cinderpop has suggested but never fully explored. It’s easy to characterize the band as melodic power-pop but that’s shortchanging songs of great originality and resilience. Lovely, exotic record. - The Vancouver Province/Tom Harrison

Making it look simple is the trademark of a good band as well, and Vancouver’s Cinderpop have that vibe going for them with Blonder, a vibrant, charming, and ultimately afflicted song, charged with reverb doting guitar jangles which create an effervescent moment of absolute pop wonder. Indeed, there is a spacey dreaminess which binds the effortless melody into being, channelled through Kevan Ellis’s breathy vocals, but the song is anything but simple, its intricate harmonies sliding into place, propping each other up, with nothing out of place and nothing missing. It’s as pure a pop rock song you’ll hear all year, and that’s the least condescending statement possible.
http://www.alimerickox.com/2008/04/16/cinderpop/

- a limerick ox

Sometimes a good pop song is just like looking through your old yearbook. Within a few chords, the riff reminds you of a great summer day or friendships long since forgotten. On their killer track Speechless, Vancouver's Cinderpop is able to make you feel nostalgic with only the jangle of an electric and terrific harmonies. When the song kicks in you want to run across open fields, take whole summers off, make out with girls, and remember that first night when you staggered home drunk and tried to figure out how you'd fool your parents.

In fact, most of Cinderpop's new record - A Lesson In Science - is carefree, unpretentious indie pop from a time where we weren't so quick to judge. When a song that sounded like The Beatles or The New Pornographers was a treat, not a damnation and where one great day was enough to make a summer special.

I don't know how you can listen to A Lesson In Science and not give in to the recklessness of youth. Boomerang is the perfect representation of getting the car for the day in the summer, and just driving knowing that new romance could be right around the corner. These songs are those stories we tell over and over again when we see old friends. They are the moments we hold onto forever.

http://www.herohill.com/2008/04/quick-hitters-cinderpop.htm
- Herohill

If one were to come across an artist who opens up an album with a track that depicts a desire to design one’s own fantasy universe in a laboratory like some mad scientist, they would most likely assume the musical style to be largely unclassifiable, experimental in form and delivery. After all, most accessible pop music contains lyrical content that appeals to the mainstream, even if subtle underlying meanings are constantly prevalent. I suppose you could say that Cinderpop contradict such stereotypes, incorporating a form of accessibly infectious power-pop over lyrics that are anything but predictable in interpretation. They are also one of thousands of acts that puts the word “Beatlesque” on their press release, hoping to attract fans of arguably the most likable group in the history of modern music. All of this looks great on paper, but I have so often listened to an album and then felt disappointment after reading about such overly contrived comparisons. When I popped in Cinderpop’s third album, A Lesson in Science, and I listened to the addictive opening track, “Bumblebee”, I could not help but notice that Cinderpop appeared to be one of those rare cases where popularized comparisons were written with genuineness and not to simply attract new fans scouring for a type of innovation and quality that will likely never be echoed as consistently again. Sure, it would be easy to call their form of melodically enlightening form of power-pop “Beatlesque”, but most of us are sane enough to realize that attempting to linearly manipulate a group like The Beatles will result in failure, which makes it highly evident why Cinderpop’s approach to power-pop instead collects it dues from various styles of pop music that span over the past 5 decades.

Hardly a coincidence, I consistently find myself enjoying material from artists who choose to demonstrate a variety of influences from varying decades, reluctance to tread in one stylistic method too long in fear of repetition. Cinderpop openly reveal a few of their largest influences as The Beatles, XTC, the Pixies, Beulah, and New Pornographers. As I somewhat mentioned before, these 5 artists all originated from separate decades, demonstrating chronologically their approach to infectious pop music has taken its due from its aforementioned predecessor(s). Audibly, the varying influences show even more prominently. What Cinderpop appear to be aiming for is a stake in the pop greats of the 2010s, a “title” that will not even be decided for another 10 years or so. Still though, the five-piece appear to be off to a great start with three albums under their belt, with the quality improving each time around.

A Lesson in Science follows up on Their Skies Are Beautiful, the sophomore album from Cinderpop that exposed the group to a more global audience when it was released in the U.K., U.S., Spain, and Sweden in 2005. Despite receiving acclaim and gathering substantial airplay on XM and CBC radio stations, the effort still failed attract the attention and sales that the group’s superbly executed form of power-pop clearly yearned for. The five-piece also seemed hesitant to fully consume themselves in their influences, perhaps shying away from any attempts at nostalgic thrills in fear of being labeled as desperate revivalists. Fortunately enough, A Lesson in Science appears to have rid the group of such beliefs, proving to showcase the best material of their career by a long shot. Despite toying with several styles like the interpretation of ’70s psychedelia in the unconventionally exotic “Speed of Light” or ’60s piano-led pop in the charming “Cinnamon Winter”, the albums maintains a feeling of cohesiveness throughout its entire duration. With all of their influences creating hectic cause for singular classifications, I am most reminded of Jellyfish when I listen to Cinderpop. Like the former trio from San Fran, Cinderpop’s ability to fuse together aspects of ’60s and ’70s pop music with modernistic stylistic techniques equates to a result that is nothing short of wildly enjoyable.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the most noticeably unique aspects about Cinderpop is that the content of their lyrics rarely match the instrumental tone of the respective track. Take one of my favorite tracks on the album, “Cinnamon Winter”, for instance; it provides a breezily enjoyable piano-led melody that is supplemented by a simplistic drum pattern and slight tinges of orchestral-pop, with lead vocalist Kevan Ellis delivering a vocal melody that would give the impression of a sweet ol’ love song. Listening to the summery melody and lovely chorus, not many people would guess that the song is actually about the joys of joining a sadistic cult and, in the process, abandoning one’s personal ideals in the favor of someone who calls themselves a prophet. “You must admit that this has been a pretty amazing day,” Ellis croons over the strumming of acoustic guitars during the chorus, easily one of the greatest moments on the album. The chorus is actually the only moment in the track where the keys take a backseat to other instrumental accompaniments, creating a devastatingly effective hook that is powered by Ellis’ commendable grasp of melodic transitioning.

“Bumblebee” sees Cinderpop fast-forwarding to the future a bit, featuring a hectic progression of synths over the distorted chaos of an electric guitar. Ellis’ vocals, as usual, make the jump with ease in their disposition of emotional intensity, with the aforementioned lab-oriented musings being a source of additional entertainment. With this particular chorus being complemented by a synth line that elevates upward in tone, it proves that Cinderpop can craft able hooks without using the same formulaic approach repetitively. With this skill in mind, it remains highly evident that if you enjoy at least some form of pop music from the past 50 years, there should be least one track on A Lesson in Science that you wholesomely enjoy. The album is due on May 13th.

http://obscuresound.com/
- Obscure Sound

Published: Tuesday, January 08, 2008
There are two schools of thought when it comes to releasing albums. One says,"Get 'em out there as quickly as you can and see what happens." The other is to take time and tweak every little thing until it's just right.
Vancouver power-pop quintet Cinderpop takes a third route: Put the dang thing out when you can get the busy members together.
It usually means a lot of time between albums. Album Three in 10 years, A Lesson in Science, comes out this weekend and maintains the high quality of 2005's acclaimed Their Skies Are Beautiful and the group's 1999 debut, Violet Gamma Rays. The sound is meticulously crafted, often almost entirely by an individual member playing almost all the parts on a home studio and then e-mailing the tunes to the rest of the band to contribute to. No sweat for such seasoned players who almost all play in other units.
"Collectively we cover pretty much the whole Lower Mainland," says singer/guitarist Kevan Ellis. "Digger (Watkins), the drummer, and I have been playing together since I was 18, getting kicked out of bars for being too young.

Vancouver's own Cinderpop keeps finding surprisingly sweet melodies.



"We played in a lot of other bands, too, but kept picking up members about every two years until we had this group we've got today."
Ellis fronts SK Robot. Erin Jane is keyboardist for Neins Circa. Bassist Joel Myers is in Winston. Watkins is in Hippy and guitar and cello ace Mark Jowett is a co-founder of Nettwerk Records.
Yup, we're talking pedigree.
"Somehow, it all works out, together with everyone else's work schedules. Knock on wood. There are two other songwriters in the band. We're never short of songs."
Songs that all have one thing in common, too: An absolute love of a good melody line and a penchant for taut, driving, rhythmic hooks.
Obvious touchstones for the 13 tracks on A Lesson in Science would be classic '60s English acts such as the Zombies and early Electric Light Orchestra. The jangle of Athens, Ga., in the '80s and a decidedly Vancouver rock vibe are all over the recording, too.
"We've got quite a generational span within this band and that automatically gives us an eclectic sound. We all like the same kind of music, but what we listened to as kids is so vastly different.
"It's great for that more unusual sound, but really hard for covers. What one group thinks is cool and ironic another can't stand. So we usually settle on the Beatles."
"Sexy Sadie" is likely to turn up in any set the band plays. There are chances of Pixies or My Bloody Valentine making rehearsals, but for concerts Ellis says the idea is to "play something nobody expects, like a Starland Vocal Express song."
Pop is not a dirty word with these five musicians.
"Pop can mean popular music, in the Britney-Spears-and-the-like [vein] on the radio, and then there is the melodic-based, quirky category and we're firmly in the latter."
He admits that they all challenge each other with difficult guitar and keyboard parts or harmonies. The fun is in recreating with live spark.
- The Vancouver Province

CD review
Stuart Derdeyn, The Province
Published: Tuesday, January 08, 2008
CINDERPOP
A Lesson in Science (Popaganda Records)
The third album from this great local power-pop group rips in with the roaring, somewhat offbeat rocker "Bumblebee" and completely shifts gears on the second, the title track, into a vocal ditty that could be off some lost swinging London Argent album or a missing Pernice Brothers project. Chiming harmonies, R.E.M.-meets-Blur jangly guitars and the sort of tasty, tight key and cello runs you'd expect of the best bands of the New Wave era. There really isn't a thing to fault on this disc, which wears the multi-generational tastes of its members in all the right ways. Happy New Year. - The Vancouver Province

WOW! This Canadian band mines the orch-pop territory and makes it sound new, fresh. Kinda like The Left Banke meet The Zombies with XTC, Ride, Sneetches, Frisbie, Beulah and AC Newman/New Pornographers. There`s some late-era Posies going on here, too. It`s all: Wickedly cool! Their Skies Are Beautiful, is a seductive and addictive melodic tour de force, bottom line. Cinderpop boast an eclectic round up of musicians from various backgrounds who have found the right mutual influences to create a singular eclectic vision."Dreamy melodies, pulsing guitars, and Kevan Ellis` free-floating vocals are what "Their Skies Are Beautiful" is all about. Delicately picked guitar lines and sonorous vocal harmonies offset each other to great effect, while the constant thumping of the kick drum bolts it all together... beautiful, flowing tracks like standouts "Downstream", "Bastian Cooper", and "Comes In Threes" dominate to great effect. "Their Skies Are Beautiful" is the type of album that`s best enjoyed on a lazy summer day, when it`s so incredibly hot out that the only energy you have left is used for listening to music, and not much else or alternately in the dead of winter, when you`re wishing badly for the smell of sunscreen and freshly cut grass. There are few people who can`t appreciate the type of melodic, sunny tunes the Vancouver quartet creates, because even though some pretend differently, it`s good to hear music that sounds like music."-SoulShine.

- Soul Shine Magazine

"They`re fun," said a friend about Cinderpop. And I couldn`t argue with it. Not just fun, though, but with incredible songwriting akin to something by Elliot Smith with joie de vivre. Kevan Ellis` voice is also eerily similar to the deceased Smith as it dances breathily through organic, melodic instrumentals that the music press likes to compare to the overmentioned Zombies. First track "Bastian Cooper" prepares us for a shoegazing ride… it`s almost all hits and no misses for this incredibly talented Vancouver band. "-Ottawa Star

- Ottawa Star

Vancouver-based quartet, Cinderpop, have produced this, their second record, in way that I can't avoid saying is "crafted." This is pure pop in all the best sense: shimmering production, attention-grabbing hooks and perfect use of additional instrumentation (in this case, cello and keyboard). The best pop, this pop, is timeless. 
Drop the needle (to use a dead white metaphor) anywhere in this disc and it shines: "Bastian Cooper", " Noon Star", "Mishapen," the stunning " Upstream"; any song here will make you feel like you are safe in your favorite space. Canada has had a knack (no pun intended) of producing great pop bands in the last few years. This may be the best.
musicemissions - Music Emissions

Cinderpop
A Lesson in Science
(Popaganda)
US release date: 13 May 2008
UK release date: 12 May 2008
by Christel Loar

Sing and Float Free

There must be something special in the water that washes Vancouver BC. It’s either that, or an inordinate number of lost Zombies fans and Beach Boys enthusiasts settled in the city and started families, because an impressive amount of that particular sort of guitar-and-piano-based pop-rock with the heavenly harmonies, chiming guitars, and orchestral arrangements seems to be coming from the left coast of Canada these days.

Cinderpop’s third album, A Lesson in Science, continues to refine the group’s pitch-perfect pop sensibilities, which were first noted on 2005’s acclaimed Their Skies Are Beautiful and 1999’s Violet Gamma Rays.

“Bumblebee” begins the lesson with something a little more rock than expected; it’s frenetic, keyboard-driven power pop that, while excellently executed, seems slightly out of place with the rest of the tracks as the album unfolds. The title track is awash with the sort of grand, gorgeous pop swells that recall a particular preciousness often found in the first wave of post-psychedelic British pop of the late ‘60s. “A Lesson in Science” is one of those dreamy, tinkling piano pieces that call to mind long and languid summer afternoons on a riverbank, and mutton-chopped mop tops smartly-dressed in Edwardian velvets and pinstripes, a sonic image which belies the lyrics of the song’s scientific spiritualism, but will still have you floating along on its buoyant strains.

“Speechless” and “Blonder” highlight lead vocalist Kevan Ellis, and the harmonies between him, bassist Joel Myers and keyboardist Erin Jane, the former song with a charming, chiming tune and the latter with a wide and ringing guitar sound from Mark Jowett, and a momentum and melody a bit reminiscent of the Cure.

The first four songs on A Lesson in Science are sweet and pleasantly catchy in their own right, but it’s the middle of the album where Cinderpop really begins to hold attention. “Cinnamon Winter” is not just catchy, it truly captivates with its sing-along chorus and positive outlook of “You must admit this has been a pretty amazing day”. “Speed of Light” explores a trippy, kaleidoscopic cyber-tangent and “When All the Town Turns Right” cleverly condemns conformity while still encouraging dancing.

“Boomerang” is an exquisite example of everything at which Cinderpop excels. There’s the immediate hook on guitar, echoed by washes of keys laid over a propulsive beat, and layered with high harmonies complementing Ellis’s sweetly simple tale of misconceived and unrequited love. This is the magic potion for modern pop, the secret formula of the science of song, and Cinderpop owns the patent.

“Dead at the Side of the Road” seems to be a cautionary story of picking up the wrong rider—or perhaps the right one in disguise—but it’s the guitar revving up into the chorus that makes this one go. “Mary All Messed in the Head” down-shifts considerably to a hypnotic reeling, but its dream-like imagery and delicate delivery give it an undeniably unforgettable quality, like an inexplicable sense memory, pleasant and beautifully strange.

“Vesuvius” returns to the upbeat, rhythm-driven, jangly-guitar with a splash of new-wave power-pop that the band began with, and “The Latest of the Five” makes one more visit to the soft, slow and shimmering. It’s a sad, somewhat somber-sounding acoustic song, which oddly, flows flawlessly into the last track.

“Bounce Me” closes the album. It’s a spinning, spiraling swirl of percussion (from drummer Digger Watkins). “Bounce me off the earth and wave”, sings Ellis, amid waves of effects and over a bass line that, yes, bounces. Cinderpop succeeds by remixing earlier essential elements to create new compounds. It’s another great pop song, and it’s the perfect way to end A Lesson in Science.

http://www.myspace.com/cinderpop
http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=143356
http://www.streamingaudio.killbeatmusic.com/cinderpop/
(Streaming audio of A Lesson in Science)
RATING: 7/10
— 18 June 2008

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/59299/cinderpop-a-lesson-in-science/
- PopMatters

The Chart Sizzler Award goes to The Green Hour Band's self-titled album, which enters the chart at #17. The Vancouver band received strong support from four radio stations, as CJAM (Windsor) charted the album at #1, while CITR (UBC) placed it at #5. CJSW (Calgary) ranked it #7 and CFBU (Brock) had it at #10. Coming a close second in the Chart Sizzler race is Cinderpop's A Lesson In Science, which hits the chart at #18. Other notable new entries include Ruby Coast's self-titled album at #29, The Black Angels' Directions To See A Ghost at #47 and Gonzales' Soft Power at #49. - ChartAttack