The Loft Party

The Loft Party
“Showing Signs”
(BIP-004)

(Bipolarecords)

With Headpets, Ian and Cara Jack created multi-layered powerpop infused with choral harmonies. Their album "Plain-Clothes Heroes" (Bipolarecords, 2002), produced by Rational Youth/Plunt veteran Kevin Komoda, received some good reviews, momentarily charted on college radio and they briefly toured Ontario. Ultimately, family and employment commitments led to the indefinite hiatus of the band.

The relationship between Komoda and Ian and Cara Jack did not.

Influenced by the recording method of the Postal Service, Ian met with Kevin Komoda in his Montreal loft in early 2005 to begin a project that would reflect the the music that was the backdrop of a formative part of their lives. Ian, a former music journalist and co-author of the Canadian Rock Bible Have Not Been The Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995 had befriended Komoda during his research on the Montreal chapter of that tome. Komoda, a veteran of the late '70s/early '80s punk/new wave/electronic scene in Montreal (Rational Youth) as well as a member of later bands Pest 5000, N.A.B.,and Plunt was the perfect writing partner for Ian's lyrical and melodic ideas. Ian wanted to create without the trappings of a live band. He wanted a project that reflected the creative structure of London's Saint Etienne (two guys and a girl vocalist), but the live versatility of a Broken Social Scene. The project from its early inception was quickly dubbed The Loft Party.

As fans of classic synthpop artists such as a-ha, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Tears for Fears, Gary Numan and Montreal's Men Without Hats, as well as current purveyors of electro such as Goldfrapp, Saint Etienne, Kylie Minogue, Ladytron, CSS and LCD Soundsystem, the duo painstakingly created an album's worth of should-be singles. The recordings took place during sporadic sessions over the last 4 years - the result of geography, holding full-time jobs and Ian and Cara bringing two sons into the world. Due to home commitments, the creative process predominantly involved Cara's vocals being transported on flash drive or via email from Port Hope, Ontario to Montreal.

Fortunately, the result of this protracted and unconventional creative process was “Showing Signs” - ten well-crafted electropop gems that span the collective interests and songwriting influences of Jack and Komoda.

The LP's first half opens with the anthemic “Rewrite Man”, which nods to both personal and musical rebirth and combines the new romanticism of the early '80s with the dance pop of the past decade and Jack's predilection for rock musicals such as Godspell. “Showing Signs”, the title track, switches gears with a sinister swing, backwards vocals and layered moogs. “I always wanted the record to be called “Showing Signs,” admits Jack. “I think album titles should be able to be interpreted a variety of ways, and I think this idea surfaces throughout all of the tracks.”

“Broken Connection” sews together failed relationships through various similes and metaphors, a wicked bass sequence, chiming acoustic guitars and an anthemic kiss-off chorus: “To all the time...that we shared. I'll disconnect...like I never cared.” If Liz Phair had recorded with Rhythm of Youth-era Men Without Hats and the Smiths, it may have sounded like this. “Identity Theft”, however, is a jagged puzzle of Wire's 154-era power chords and word play with an elating building up keyboard sequences and moog riffs. It's further evidence that Jack and Komoda were striving beyond a formula. This is further-evidenced by staccato ballad “Streetlights Explode When We Walk By.” It's an idealistic love song with jangling acoustic guitars dueling with multiple string lines and an emphatic rhythm pattern and it begs to be a part of the final credits of a lost John Hughes film.

The album's second half begins with “(It Doesn't Get Cold) In Montreal” the first single off the album is a mini synthpop orchestra that brings together the melodicism and production of the Pet Shop Boys and New Order, the lyrical style of Leonard Cohen filtered through Saint Etienne. “It's very much about my love affair with Montreal. It is a city of fascinating culture, art, style and wonderful people, but it also has an extremely dark and seedy side,” notes Jack. “ I think this was another unconscious theme running through this album – the idea that beautiful and wonderful things like love, relationships, and getting older can be painful and ugly as well.”

“Office Soap Opera”, the only track with prominent vocal duties by Ian, takes a decidedly bitter event and ironically infuses it with the sunniest harmonies, brightest guitar layers and a giant chorus. “Our joke early on was that we wanted to be the Canadian Saint Etienne,” Jack laughs in reference to the celebrated London, UK trio. “I wanted Cara to sing all of the songs, but then I had to have my Martin (Depeche Mode) Gore moment and sing on one of the