i(heart)music - This week's feature: My Dad Vs Yours

http://www.iheartmusic.net/serendipity/index.php?/archives/2123-This-weeks-feature-My-Dad-Vs-Yours.html
 

WHO
Ottawa post-rockers.
 
DISCOGRAPHY
Winning Hearts and Minds (Self-released, 2003)
After Winter Must Come Spring (Self-released, 2006)
Little Symphonies (Self-released, 2011)
 
IN A NUTSHELL
My Dad Vs Yours may not be the most prolific band, but -- as they demonstrate on Little Symphonies -- they make up for that by releasing sparkling albums every time out.
 
THE STORY
As I've written before, I'm not usually that into post-rock. To some extent, it's because I don't feel I have a proper understanding of what's going on musically, and I don't feel like I can properly appreciate it. To an even greater extent, it's because most of it bores the crap out of me (which undoubtedly goes back to reason #1).
 
Of course, there are some post-rock bands I can tolerate, and even some that I actively like. My Dad Vs Yours are right at the top of that second list. This is because they've always remembered that just because they're playing instrumental, guitar-based post-rock, it doesn't mean they need to sound boring and drone-y. They've always managed to make the genre sound fun. That was true of their first two albums, and it's just as true on their third album, Little Symphonies.
 
Part of the credit for this, I suspect, should go to Arturo Brisindi, who's not only the band's drummer, but also a producer at one of Ottawa's top recording studios. I suspect that his time behind the boards has given him an appreciation for not letting songs drag on forever. Obviously, that's total conjecture on my part -- but given that the average song length here is around four minutes, it's an idea that probably has some basis in reality.
 
Of course, the bulk of the credit should go to the band as a whole. On song after song, they put together music that sounds like...well, like songs, rather than like a bunch of guitar wanking. Whether they're creating epic anthems (on "Against Tide and Wind" or "En Plein Soleil"), electronic soundscapes ("Nonno"), laidback jams ("Happy Wanderer") or driving rock songs ("Carry The Weight"), you always get the sense that My Dad Vs Yours have a goal in mind, and aren't just noodling around for the heck of it.
 
Couple that sense of purpose with a tightness that can only be gained from a decade together as a band, and it's no wonder that Little Symphonies is such an outstanding album.