C. Sterling

No Matter is the new self-released EP from Vancouver musician C. Sterling. The record is four songs of starkly beautiful folk, with a haunting minimalism that should appeal to fans of groups like Timber Timbre. - T.O. Snob's music

No Matter- by C. Sterling - EP Album Review

The 4 song EP by Vancouver based C. Sterling entitled No Matter feels like an introduction of sorts. Often times when new music falls into my lap I scour the internet to find out source material on the artist I am reviewing and while I am aware that C. Sterling is Craig Smith's latest incarnation, that is all I know. For the purposes of this review I decided to just let the music speak for itself. The songs on No Matter are not spectacularly produced, the composition's structures don't surprise you or divert from where you think they will go and they are not on the cutting edge or ahead of the latest musical trend. For all these reasons and more I love this brief introduction to C. Sterling. The songs swept in ambient sounds and timeless folk progressions pull you easily into their own stories.

"All That Hell You Breathe" with it's double time strumming and breathy vocal performance instantly sounds sad. It has an Elliot Smith like sensibility. It feels immediate and a bit claustrophobic and then mid-way through it erupts from sadness into a synth bed of tears. It has a great emotional tug of war going on. "No Matter" gets more folksy, complete with birds chirping in the background. The song with the cadence of a Medieval troubadour's love song is bolstered by Casey Mecija wonderful voice. "Tiger Proud" with it's upbeat tempo, picking guitars, active bass line and stirring synth sounds feel like a steam locomotive chugging along until it gets lost in a romantic fog. "Sum > Parts" has a wonderfully embracing feel. It stirs you slowly with it's organ swirl and Smith's vocals that feel both torn and healing. It has a church like quality, it begs you to hold your neighbors hands and sing along. It is simply beautiful- "I do like the light in your eyes... it gives me a reason to try".
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Adler Bloom
AP
- American Pancake

Vancouver-based C. Sterling Gets Toronto Indie Pop Infusion
BY GESILAYEFA AZORBO – JANUARY 9, 2012
POSTED IN: MUSIC, OTHER

C. Sterling is a name many may be unfamiliar with, but Craig Smith, the artist behind the new indie folk act, is no stranger to the scene.

Smith has been making music since the mid-2000s in collaboration with other artists – he was a founding member of alt-rock outfit The Silent Authors as well as one half of folk duo Ohmbe. In 2010 Smith embarked on a solo project under the moniker C. Sterling, and the result is No Matter, an EP combining synthesized computer sounds and catchy yet contemplative acoustic folk-pop.

Featuring the co-writing efforts of his Silent Authors’ bandmate Brad Woods, as well as Iain Rose on the drums, Smith’s solo release is a contemplative, at times almost moody, reflection on love. The songs, sung in Smith’s melodic timbre reminiscent of Coldplay’s Chris Martin or Bon Iver, are composed of introspective lyrics and looping — layered melodies that stick in one’s mind.

In terms of the sound, this EP features an atmospheric sonic depth similar to the sound of Toronto’s indie folk group Ohbijou. In fact, Casey Mecija, lead vocalist of Ohbijou lends her ethereal, bell-clear voice to the title track, “No Matter.” This song is a lullaby-like ballad with a repeating melody and an echoing sentiment of steadfast devotion, “no matter where we go, my love, no matter where we go.”

Smith, as part of The Silent Authors, garnered acclaim from such notable artists as Dan Mangan, DRMHLLR, and Ohbijou following the 2007 release of Under City Lights, and again with folk duo Ohmbe, after their self-titled release. So with his re-emergence as C. Sterling, he looks to be in the right company to go far, especially given the involvement of renowned Toronto producer Leon Taheny (Final Fantasy, Sebastien Grainger).

With this EP, Smith’s talent as a solo artist is apparent, both lyrically and vocally. However, No Matter appears to be just a foretaste of the capabilities of C. Sterling.

Track List:
01. All the Hell You Breathe
02. No Matter
03. Tiger Proud
04. Sum>Parts - Cadence Canada

Quick Hitters: C. Sterling No Matter
Jan 20, 2012
By ack
in Uncategorized
1 Comment

In the last few years, the number of acts presenting slight folk compositions bolstered by orchestral layers has grown to an all-time high. Pleasant and safe; while perfectly acceptable, aren’t really the descriptors you pine for when discovering a new band.

C. Sterling – the solo project from Craig Smith – could easily be saddled with those same descriptions (and on first listen, pleasant was the exact word I chose), but the Vancouver based musician isn’t limited by them. No Matter is technically his cotillion ball, and while the plucks on his acoustic, emotive breathy vocals and systematically added drums, horns, electronics and horns aren’t a unique recipe, the more I’ve listened the more of an impact the songs make.

“All That Hell You Breathe” uses a nice crescendo to pique the listener’s interest, and the title track, (a simple song about a never ending love) benefits from the contrast of Casey Mecija’s lovely voice and some horns, but he does best when the pace is picked up. The EPs most successful song, “Tiger Proud”, leaves any hint of orchestral folk behind and Smith settles into a nice melody strengthened by rim shot percussion warbled effects.

No Matter isn’t without fault; the child like melody Smith uses on “No Matter” makes the concept of true and lasting love seem like a naive fairytale (and admittedly, this could be the point and simply doesn’t resonate with me), but C. Sterling presents themselves well and makes you take notice.

MP3:: C. Sterling – Tiger Proud
WEB:: http://csterlingmusic.com/ - Hero Hill

Review- “No Matter”- C. Sterling
Posted on January 24, 2012 by glasspaperweight
reviewed by Michael Thomas

While locations that aren’t the city seem to be big breeders of folk musicians, Vancouver has produced a folk singer-songwriter. C. Sterling infuses some pop elements to create an extremely accessible collection of four songs.

The first thing you’ll notice is just how freaking gorgeous it sounds. Within the first few seconds of the first song I knew I was hooked. And it only got better from there.

Speaking of the first song, “All the Hell You Breathe” is a great intro (and a very creatively-titled song). The “hell” that “you” breathe isn’t exactly clear, though a guess might be pollution. But it could also be more metaphorical and mean bad thoughts or something. Regardless of what it means, the light brushing of a drum kit, the simple strumming of guitar notes and Sterling’s remarkable hold on sung notes creates a peaceful and powerful statement.

The title track is the next song, and the EP is named after it for pretty good reason- it’s the most beautiful song on the album and it features Casey Mecija of Ohbijou. It starts out with nature sounds, like birds tweeting, then is backed by just an acoustic guitar. The back-and-forth (and then harmonizing) of Sterling and Mecija really evokes the images of folk music- it almost sounds like a traditional tune. Its gentleness is lovely, such as the opening line “Come here my dear with all your fears underneath the setting sun.” The song later adds a horn solo and a flourish of xylophone here and there.

“Tiger Proud” is probably the most pop of the four songs. It uses slightly more complex picking patterns on guitar and is this time backed by a bass guitar and drums. It also works in some synth, so by the time Sterling first sings the word “tiger” you’ll feel like you’re floating on a cloud.

Finally there’s the song “Sum > Parts.” It starts out with the sound of blowing wind and some strings which gives a sense that this song will be a little more sombre. It definitely keeps that sound and Sterling’s slightly echo-y vocals give off an ethereal sadness. The song sounds like someone nostalgic for good times. A great line from it: “I do like the light in your eyes/It gives me a reason to try.”

This EP is addictive and a fantastic introduction to this immensely talented singer-songwriter. I eagerly await his next release.

No Matter is available on Bandcamp.

Top Track: “No Matter”

Rating: Proud Hoot (Really Good) +*swoop* - GrayOwl Point

Silent Authors
Under City Lights
myspace.com/thesilentauthors
“A quietly insistent, textured stab at capturing the feeling of exploring an unfamiliar city by a pair of introspective Eastern Canada transplants”
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Rob McMahon, Metro News

Rainy nights, blurry city lights and the rare sunrise over clear skies: Vancouver’s Silent Authors articulate these images in a sound that’s quietly epic and melancholic, but still contains an optimism that breaks through densely structured instrumentals.
Inspired by Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene, former Torontonians Craig Smith (guitar, vocals) and Brad Woods (bass) aimed to piece together their impressions of life on the West Coast. Blending electronic beats with rock song structures, the duo crafted songs that depict shifts in mood through epic builds, understated vocals and delicate guitars.
“Most of our songs focus on being lost, directionless, and frustrated, while others hold more optimism or a more relaxed energy,” said Smith. “As a musician, I wanted to become an author of music—to translate my experiences in a way that everyone understands, but that doesn’t rely on words.”
The resulting 10 tracks—shaped in drummer and sound engineer Justin Cathcart’s home studio with Rob Bravo (keyboards) during one long winter—are “powerful mellow”, according to the band. Led by relaxed bass grooves and warm, if sad, textures, the Silent Authors recorded the vocals last, pushing them back in the mix.
“Brad and I wrote eight of the 10 tracks, but he’s not as interested in playing live or recording, so he’s become kind of a silent author,” explained Smith about the band’s name. “We also wanted to restrict the vocals to part of the album’s texture—that idea of how things sound emotionally, rather than what they mean.”
Morning Breaks, which leads the album, begins with a syncopated breakbeat before dropping into a guitar-powered build inspired by Wilco’s A Ghost Is Born—a technique that is used on a number of tracks. Invisible Hand showcases Smith’s understated singing, which serves as a background to a percussive sound inspired by Caribou. Backseat Savior and The Morning Breaks is the Authors’ reflections on that rare sunny fall day—an optimistic break in an otherwise soft song cycle—while All Your Might is an atmospheric take on roots rock.
“Some of our songs have a pop structure, some don’t. We never wanted to make a standard sounding album, but still wanted it to be somewhat catchy and interesting,” said Smith. “We wanted to rock out at parts, but focus on making a record that’s more beautiful than edgy or angsty.”
When the rains start tune into Under City Lights for company to help you weather the cold.
The album is available at myspace.com/thesilentauthors - Metro News