If Errand Boy (formerly of the lovely group “The Triceratops”) was to ever have a marketing slogan (which would just be wrong in itself), it would be “music made by nerds, for everyone”.
His first official (untitled) release consists of electronically made beats, various noises, some piano, guitar, drums and bass, “samples of children’s records, soul albums, and jewish folk songs”, and a few other nice things. Mike Wyatt, his partner in melodic crime, lays down guitar on the track “Birch Mouth”, and takes care of some of the bass and guitar in the live set.
Though the website says he borrows from certain genres, he has a hard time with labels.
“There’s never anything that really neatly fits my songs,” he comments. “Myspace doesn’t have enough hyphenated genres to pin me down.”
Errand Boy (Bryan Melanson), may not be aware of it, but his music resembles some of the best works of Múm (“Yes With An If”, a personal favorite), Broken Social Scene (especially Feel Good Lost), Aphex Twin, and even a bit of Jack Johnson (“Seagulls Fighting Kites”). The final results, especially for some kid in a basement somwhere messing around with computer apps, are phenomenal.
The great thing about this release is it fills a very large gap in local music. There is little or none of this sort of thing in St. John’s, or Newfoundland period, let alone in such innovative configurations.
“I’m surprised there isn’t more electronic music, because for me it comes from being isolated,” Melanson says. “It grew from me not having any instruments around me or people to play music with, and that’s what I find a lot of people complain about here. I’m trying to inspire people, even if it’s by being ambitious and failing miserably. If anyone comes up to me after a show asking me how I make my music, I get really excited and give them my e-mail address and start sending them diagrams and coaching them through it.”
“Errand Boy” was recorded by Bryan with a little help from Mike in a basement somwhere, and is available now through Myspace and CBC Radio 3.
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