Library Voices at the Bilmore Cabaret, Sept 22 2011. Jason Statler photo
Photos – Library Voices at the Bilmore Cabaret, Vancouver Sept 22 2011
– text by Shawn Conner/photos by Jason Statler
Someone asked after last night’s Library Voices show which of the Regina band’s two albums I thought was better. I had a tough time answering, because both are filled with smartly constructed, terribly catchy and peppily energetic indie-pop.
You could definitely say the same about last night’s hour-long set. The six members onstage (a collective, Library Voices have had more people come and go) showed that the bouncy fun of the records is a pale imitation of what they can do live. One driving, infectious song followed another, with an encore of The Boxtops’ “The Letter” (a two-minute foundation of power-pop) and a singalong that saw band members wade onto the busy dancefloor.
Which brings up a thought I had during the set: where do they go from here? Library Voices have obviously mastered the three- and four-minute pop song, and that in itself is an accomplishment. Still, imagining them on a larger stage – say, the Commodore’s – is still a bit of a stretch. As much as I like Summer of Lust, the group’s most recent release, I hope Library Voices surprises us on their next one. Based on last night’s show and their two records, the band has everything it needs to be great, and not merely excellent.
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