the dickens

"In a year that gave us the doc Let's All Hate Toronto, which invited the rest of Canada to tell us why we sucked so bad, it surely would have been easy to lash out defensively. This local indie rock/alt-country quartet, though, takes a decidedly more proactive stance on civic pride. The Dickens's second disc is a love letter to the Big Smoke, a collection of songs that are as much a throwback to the city's 90s alt heyday as they are a celebration of every wide-eyed whippersnapper with a guitar who hopes for a shot on the Horseshoe stage. Nostalgia and good intentions aside, the album works purely in terms of how genuine and full of life the band sounds, as on the celebratory Downtown Is Awesome, a retooled homage to Randy Newman's I Love L.A. for the local all-ages matinee indie set. Fun and attitude-free." - Evan Davies, NOW Magazine, Toronto. Oct. 11/07

"A good old hockey arena song that sidechecks any the Hip have penned. In particular if your girlfriend didn’t give a f**k about hockey then this rambunctious and spunky number is the perfect puck-chasing track....John Critchley (13 Engines) is the producer here. Gord Cumming is the TO singer/songwriter mostly known for his band The Lawn." - Scene & Heard with Will McGuirk

"This rock’n’roll band are led by Paul Emery, a veteran of the Toronto club circuit who’s now better known as the owner of one of the city’s most musician-friendly watering holes, the Communist’s Daughter. Time behind the beer taps hasn’t brought creative rust though, as this disc is his best yet. He’s given able assistance by his band mates and the production by fellow vet John Critchley (13 Engines). There are no frills here, just melodic yet gritty songs that’ll brighten your day. One reference point could be mid-period Replacements, and there’s a Westerberg-ian gruff honesty in both Emery’s vocals and his down to earth songwriting. There’s no concession to trends either, as demonstrated by the occasional un-hip but effective guitar solo and his defence of the aged Stones in “I Will Hold Your Spot,” an album highlight. Paul pays justified tribute to a Toronto indie rock hero in “Hats Off To Gord Cumming,” one that does Cumming (the leader of the Lawn) justice. The Dickens also pay tribute to their hometown on “Downtown Is Awesome” and, in turn, this is a disc Toronto can be pleased to call its own."

- Kerry Doole, Exclaim Magazine