THE FAKEOUT, THE TEASE AND
THE BREATHER

Canasta
RWI003 - CD

Jeremy Beckford – guitar / vocals
Josh Lava – drums
Elizabeth Lindau – vocals / violin
Matt Priest – vocals / bass / trombone
Ryan Tracy – piano / keyboard / bass
Ian Wilson – keyboard / piano

When Canasta throws around the term "long-awaited" to describe their upcoming album, The Fakeout, the Tease and the Breather, they're not just whistling Dixie.  Considering the band has been a staple - perhaps even the unspoken centerpiece - of Chicago's orchestral pop contingent this millennium, it's hard to believe that this release will only be their second full-length.  But Canasta don't profess to be lightning rods for the muses.  As un-sexy as it may sound, Canasta are probably better described as craftsmen/women.  And for them, crafting pop songs the way they do simply takes time.

Boasting a six-person line-up, Canasta has always augmented the standard rock set-up of guitar, bass, drums and vocals with piano, keyboard, violin and trombone.  But despite an ever-changing roster that has included fifteen different players in total (!), original members Matt Priest and Elizabeth Lindau have continued to keep the orchestrations meticulous, the lyrics thoughtful, the melodies unforgettable and the sound uniquely "Chicagoan."  But all this talk of their responsibility to some sort of legacy belies all the fun they've been having.  Since forming, they've managed to live out one rock n' roll dream after another... They've toured the country - hitting CMJ and SXSW - and here at home, headlined the legendary Metro and held the prestigious Schubas residency.  They've gigged with killer bands like Wilco, Grizzly Bear, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Menomena, Sloan,  Devotchka, The Kaiser Chiefs and The Delgados and even played a set for President Obama.  Their songs have made their way into commercials, a movie trailer and NPR playlists and they've sold out pressings of both their debut EP, Find the Time, and full-length, We Were Set Up.  So it wouldn't be fair to give you the impression they've only been working on the record...

...which brings us to The Fakeout, the Tease and the Breather.  It's a record that earns its lengthy gestation period and demonstrates a big step forward in songwriting.  This album's louder moments are darker, denser and more dramatic than that which they've recorded in the past, with harder-hitting drums, boomier bass and a swarm of buzzing synths.  But conversely, its prettier moments are sparser and more heartbreaking, with the creaking and squeaking of piano pedals, guitar frets, violin strings and vocals bordering on a whisper.  And along the way, the record flirts with elements new to the band, borrowing from the likes of disco, shoegaze, spaghetti western, gospel and blue-eyed soul.  But in their hands, none of this ever spirals out of control; it's unquestionably still a pop record at heart.