artist Windows '78



Windows ’78 follows up their well-received debut, The Window Seat, with a tightly knit 5 song EP entitled Again.  In true DIY fashion, everything except vocals was tracked at the Vancouver group’s rehearsal space.  However, rather than becoming an exploration of all things lo-fi the songs instead expand upon the strengths amply displayed on their debut.  The richly textured ambience is still present, augmented by ferocious guitar and bass attacks, while the addition of synthesizer broadens the band’s sonic palette.  Acclaimed Vancouver band leader, songwriter and producer Caleb Stull’s creative contributions behind the mixing console and with lush vocal harmonies provides continuity with his past work on The Window Seat.

Again opens with the powerful title track, a rumination on life and death that rolls through tumbling verses before bursting into a glossy, distortion-laced chorus and climaxing in an orchestral guitar solo section.  ‘6 Little Pins’ chimes and simmers with a delicate, understated disquiet at a love the narrator can’t bring himself to forget.  ‘Take It International’ wraps itself around a droning guitar, evolving into a lush chorus; regrets about the stubborn clutch of pipe dreams continues the exploration of the paradox of ‘success’, previously explored by lead vocalist and lyricist Mark Rogers on The Window Seat’s ‘A Couple Lines’.  ‘Tom Hanks’ is a mischievous roast that neatly upends the usual deification of celebrity culture to the sound of tightly strummed acoustic guitars offset with ringing electrics and smashing riffs.  ‘Trees Lounge’, the EP’s only non-original track, neatly encapsulates the fatalistic feeling of Again.  An underrated song by an underrated artist from an underrated film is given new life with a rousing, overdrive drenched treatment.  

Drummer Michael Nathanson takes the opportunity to stretch out on this set of songs. His commanding yet tasteful rhythmic approach lays the foundation for guitarist and principal song-writer Craig Rogers to unfold the band’s most ambitious arrangements to date.  Multi-instrumentalist Greg Williams skillfully enriches the new line-up on guitars, bass and synth, a very capable replacement for the masterful John Lucas.

Again is a compelling and melodic exploration of new sounds and musical concepts, launching Windows ‘78 well beyond the orbit of ‘space rock’.

KEY TRACKS:

“Again” (track 1),

“Trees Lounge” (track 4, Hayden cover)

“Take it International” (track 2)