The Burnettes

"Chicken-scratch guitar, cantina accordion, and raised-on-Cracker vocals all add up to the best song about television’s most sickeningly wholesome family since, well, ever."
-The Georgia Straight (2011, A Boy And A Girl) - Georgia Straight

There is a charming homespun aura emanating from A Boy And A Girl, the Burnettes fourth CD. Neither Cora nor Chris Burnette are polished musicians but there is something very appealing about the honesty of their lyrics and casualness of their performances. The album starts with the wheeze of accordion and oompah of brass to kick off "All For Yourself" and is rousing fun. About halfway through it takes on an air reminiscent of Neil Young's Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere without the long jamming. The album's one cover is Tom Petty's "American Girl," which isn't the telltale clue to the record you might expect...." - The Vancouver Province

"For the better part of a decade or more, Vancouver's the Burnettes have done their best to not be noticed while making some of the most informed and poetic misty indie rock music that pays homage to an era of honest folk rock bands while remaining somehow fresh and independent. With a bunch of records under their belts and nothing to prove, the Burnettes are back with their latest record, A Boy & A Girl, an album title that reflects the composition of the band. The Burnettes are the happily coupled and procreating Cora and Chris Burnette....." - Beatroute Magazine

"Chris and Cora Burnette are Canada’s answer to the White Stripes. Except they actually are married, they do produce real lo-fi music and they accept the fact that a bass is essential despite the lack of members.
This Vancouver-based team’s second release, We’d Better Be Dreaming, is an eclectic sound emporium of shoe-gaze, folk and alt-country styles mixed with a punk edge when Chris lends his voice to the few tracks on the album he sings on. Cora’s honest and natural vocals are reminiscent of female singers like Mary Timony and bring forth a lacklustre, unpretentious mandate that’s nostalgic of an early nineties sound.
Chris’ vocals, though scarce, sneak in a raw energy and grittiness reminiscent of Jeff Magnum on tracks like ‘littletown’. The recording is scratchy and pure, maintaining the lo-fi quality that is distinct to their sound. It’s hard to pinpoint what style direction they are trying to pursue but this naïve flair adds to the sweetness of this record. Their simplicity and innocence maintains the DIY mantra that bands like the Beat Happening initiated. They make you want to listen to early K records while making your own t-shirts.
We’d Better…is a truly rootsy effort, minus the hippy shit...." - Jessica Russell - SceneAndHeard.ca (Toronto, ON)

At times this record really catches fire usually during the shoegazing moments where the disconnected vocals and dissonant backing lead to sweet passages of narcotic beauty, all kohl eyed and mysterious like Mazzy Star or Ida at their best. The title track and ‘Remember’ being the best two examples, other more freak-folk don’t reach the same highs though ‘Honest’ has charm and ‘Falling Under’ has a certain degree of slacker/Sebadoh allure that will make your life better for three minutes, lovely packaging too. - David Cowling - Americana UK (London, Eng)

Rumour has it that Chris Burnette is a big Ween fan, but while We'd Better Be Dreaming offers some dreamy, almost hallucinogenic, melodies, don't get the brown paint yet. With Cora Burnette taking most of the vocal duties on the album, the result is much sweeter. In fact, the album bears more of a resemblance to material by a Luscious Jackson side-project called the Kostars....With acoustic guitars, jangly hooks and Cora's smoky vocals, The Burnettes bring a seemingly-effortless approach to music that is perfect for floating away on, but still stands up to a dedicated listen. Resting on a bed of tremolo, hushed brush drumming and understated guitar solos, We'd Better Be Dreaming is the perfect bridge between alt rock and alt country....4/5 -Jason Lewis - FFWD Magazine (Calgary, AB)

The Burnettes have perfected imperfection. The buzz saw guitar tones, the sloppy solos and the warm electrical hum that pervade the whole of Nothing Ever Happens Here prove that feeling and energy have more to do with making a good record than technical precision. “All My Time” takes lead-heavy riffs and buries the vocals. “Arhythmic Heart” turns a ’50s prom ballad into a jangly heartbreaker (working even with a steel drum solo). Then “Small Factory in the Valley” shimmers with sincerity, vibrato and whacked-out pedal effects. Chugging their way through hypnotic laments, The Burnettes effortlessly recall the glory of mid-’90s slacker rock without sounding dated. Bringing bluesy delivery to an indie sensibility, this is a whole new generation of electric white-boy blues.

- FFWD Magazine (Calgary, AB)

My friends and I have a tradition of all gathering at the Black Dog Pub for their legendary "Hair of the Dog" shows whenever our friend Mike returns to Edmonton. On Mike's last visit to town we had the pleasure of witnessing a very intimate performance by Vancouver's The Burnettes.
The Burnettes -- consisting of husband and wife team Cora (vocal/ rhythm) and Chris (vocals/ lead) along with new drummer Mung -- rolled into town and played an afternoon gig while on their way out east to promote their latest release, We'd Better be Dreaming. The album is an enjoyable listen that combines equal parts of Alt Country and Punk Rock. We'd Better be Dreaming begins with the title track which sounds exactly like its name suggest, putting the audience into a passive, relaxed state. The album continues in the same vein until the fourth song ("Honest") which kicks it up a notch with a tune worthy of becoming a kitchen party anthem. All songs on the new album are sung by Cora with the exception of two tracks which feature Chris on vocals. The Burnettes have the ability to write about serious topics as well as not-so-serious things, including a song about their dog ("and Hana") without jeopardizing their musical integrity.
After watching the Burnettes perform it is clear that Cora and Chris' close knit relationship helps create a tight stage show, but still the two maintain a fun and at times comical nature in their live performances. The Burnettes' love for music was also apparent. Cora showed extreme commitment to her music by still performing while nearing the delivery date of the couple's first born child, of which they joked they hope will be their future bass player. Cora could hardly manage to grasp her acoustic over her protruding pregnant belly, but somehow the Burnettes managed to pull off two 45 minute sets, in which they performed songs from their new album and even treated the audience to an Elvis cover.
The Burnettes currently reside in Vancouver, but once called Calgary home. Chris also grew up in Edmonton of which he reminisced about on stage, speaking fondly about old times at the now defunct Rebar. On the new album it is evident that location is a huge influence on the band's sound with a clear country style reminiscent of the prairies fused with the laid back feel of the west coast.
The Burnettes prove that they are the full meal deal with an excellent new album and a killer live show. Make sure that you go check out the Burnettes the next time they roll through your town and watch for a new bassist joining the group in the future.
-Paul Bochert

- Mote MGZN (Edmonton, AB)

The Burnettes from Calgary. A husband and wife duo. Excuse yourself if you thought banjos and frocks, and I’ll excuse me too. This is some funny and fucked-up folk punk that is more Ween than Willie Nelson. The irreverence and eccentricity is also balanced by some Breeders-like incisiveness, some brainy blackness in both the writing and the playing (In Your Face and Rot2) courtesy of frontwoman Cora Aronoff. And there is some slow country twanginess, as if to appease our first impressions. Album Schmalbum is the twosome’s debut (they tour as a four-piece with Jay Kreway of noted Calgary pop-punk band Field Day on drums), and a fine how-do-you-do indeed. (Jamie O’Meara)
- Jamie O'Meara

the burnettes (please note all lowercase…) have been described as everything from “hopped-up Elvis movie music” to “melodic folk punk”, which is odd, because that is exactly what they are- punks playing folk ballads, rock n roll numbers and mad 1 minutes pop/punk snippets. The core of the sound (if you pardon the punning alliteration..) is Cora Aranoff/Burnette’s half Gillian Welch/ half Siouxie Sioux vocals, which can be sympathetic and scathing, sarcastic and warm. “Titanic” is the most amusing thing I’ve heard in weeks- a 32 second re-working of an old song about the sinking of the said ship, done out in mock-horror fairy tale punk style, relieving the knotted tension of “rot 2” which comes before it- all menacing, sloping bass, muttered/whispered lyrics and Yo La Tengo style melodic undertow. “you+me” comes as a surprise- almost Fairground Attraction-like (!) in it’s sprightly, jaunty pop, but Cora betrays greater world-weariness than I ever heard Eddi Reader emote; Chris Burnette fits in a neat Eddie Cochran style solo towards the end, which somehow sits well with the rhythms and vibe of the thing. “let’s get outtahere” is the pick of the bunch- it’s one of the slower, more serious tunes, and is essentially Cora and an acoustic backing, stripped of irony and really feeling the pain of love- sounding like Sara Cox (Portland ME version) or Kasey Chambers, and somehow I can imagine her being a minor character in a Hal Hartley movie. “were naked” is great too- a tale of small town gossip, which ends up in neat guitar picking and the story being satisfyingly lost in the music. Overall, “Album Schmalbum” feels like a Polaroid of the burnettes at a particular moment in their evolution as a band- humour intact but writing great songs; it’ll be very interesting to see how the “difficult second album” goes, and in the meantime, it’d be fascinating to see how the whole thing holds together live. Anyways, it’s hard to imagine them not having a very successful musical future, whether this sees them remain together as a band or doing something more singer-songwriter based. MP
- Mark Phillips

Not an ode to the wonderfully tacky Carol, but the name of the actual couple who form one-half of the Burnettes. As evident from the album title, they have more than a passing attraction to kitsch, employed here for the most part with restraint and ingenuity. Beats for “Let’s Get Outta Here” are provided by a flicking cigarette lighter, and “The Mom Song” is a loving tribute to Cora Burnette’s own hard-workin’ mama (who likes to smoke and cuss by the way, and would mow the lawn if she had a yard). Theirs is a very genuine garage-y aesthetic — but from the time before garage rock went and got a middle-class haircut. “I don’t mind if I go blind,” hollers front-woman Cora Burnette, in one dirty little ditty about unrequited love. She has that cigarette-edged, boozy sort of voice that complements the record’s looseness. One of the strongest tracks, “Rot” begins all sinister and sneering, with offbeat phrasing and guitar that sounds freakishly like distorted didgeridoo. This is a splendidly raw piece of work, cheaply recorded and embellished only with a near-ubiquitous shaker. The first 500 of these babies also come with stunning artwork; the booklet itself an actual photo album of the band, complete with sticky old-school pages. The Burnettes create a lot using very little, and while their enthusiasm for schmaltz is sometimes to their detriment (enough with the banter!) their truly bent sensibility is very enjoyable. It’s theatrical and unhinged, but in the best way, with more than a few fun-lovin’ stalker odes that Neko Case would love.
- Helen Spitzer

Equal parts twang, folk, pop and the occasional sneer, The Burnettes debut Album Schmalbum laces together slow tempos and alt country. Made up mostly of warm, sad songs, the Burnettes avoid the conventional, all acoustic approach, employ feedback and the occasional drum loop. While the production values aren’t necessarily high, Cora Burnette’s vocals are firmly up front. The 11 tracks on this album avoid pretentious angst, as even the tripped out dirge ‘here me’ feels light-hearted without losing any of it’s depression inducing tone. Multi-instrumentalist Chris Burnette, bassist Chris Smith and drummer Jay Kreway make some clever musical turns along the way, and Cora’s vocals move variously from pop pleading to torch-song singer to impassioned whisper. Recently accepted to play the upcoming PopMontreal festival, look for The Burnettes around town real soon.
- Derek McEwan

The debut album from husband-and-wife team Cora and Chris Burnette is a wonderfully home-made affair, rich with nonsensical sound bites and clunky background noises. When it came down to picking the final mixes, one can guess it was a toss-up between the track with the cat tipping the pot over in the background or the one with the incessant squeaky hinge on the back door. The 11 songs are sparse and at times awkward, but highlight the natural warmth of Cora¹s deep vocals. Rejecting the "folk" title, songs like "Going Blind" instead capture the indie-rock spirit of the band, throwing open their appeal to a much wider audience. The album itself is adorned with handwritten liner notes and personal photos, allowing the listener a lingering glimpse into the Burnettes' world. Catch them at the Times Change(d) on Thursday, Aug. 14.

- Kari Douglas

Equal parts twang, folk, pop and the occasional sneer, The Burnettes debut Album Schmalbum laces together slow tempos and alt country. Made up mostly of warm, sad songs, the Burnettes avoid the conventional, all acoustic approach, employ feedback and the occasional drum loop. While the production values aren’t necessarily high, Cora Burnette’s vocals are firmly up front. The 11 tracks on this album avoid pretentious angst, as even the tripped out dirge ‘here me’ feels light-hearted without losing any of it’s depression inducing tone. Multi-instrumentalist Chris Burnette, bassist Chris Smith and drummer Jay Kreway make some clever musical turns along the way, and Cora’s vocals move variously from pop pleading to torch-song singer to impassioned whisper. Recently accepted to play the upcoming PopMontreal festival, look for The Burnettes around town real soon.
- Derek McEwan