A Different Brand of Noise

Before a chance encounter on a Montreal street toward the arse end of a dying decade led to the formation of A Different Brand of Noise, the three members already amassed a persuasive catalogue of original material, toured Canada and the U.K., and released a small handful of recordings to critical acclaim and campus/alternative radio airplay. Separately, their previous bands had also played prestigious venues supporting some of the best-loved artists in the world of alternative rock of the day and so, having already established their indie bona fides, the new trio wasted no time writing, rehearsing, and recording demos while consolidating a fanbase of their own through a series of jam-packed live shows as headliner.

An early bootleg tape recorded in 4-track lo-fi in late 1987 entitled Up, Tight became an immediate airplay favourite on Montreal campus/alternative radio, earning raves from the press and New Music Foundation Host and erstwhile CHOM-FM Music Director Benoit Dufresne. Alas, within two fast-paced years, real life intruded and the band split up. Dreams of alternative rock anti-stardom were jettisoned in favour of “real” paying jobs and university degrees, leaving a significant body of original works including the 10 songs found on their first, posthumous official release.

And so guitarist Robert Ranaldi (Secret Act, Man and Things), bassist Ken Ashdown (This “Blue Piano”, Ulysses Underwood) and drummist Geoff Finch went their separate ways, the latter remaining in Montreal with the former relocating to New York and Vancouver, respectively. The story might have ended there but for a global pandemic, the internet, and digital recording technology. The long-awaited result of the reunion is Blurry, their self-produced debut album, including the timely and anthemic lead track Stir in the Air.  Blurry is an aural thrill ride of 10 songs about sex, drugs, and incipient societal collapse.

Don’t be surprised if you detect influences ranging from the Velvet Underground and Big Star to REM, the Gang of Four and XTC, to name just a few; the band took its name from Ranaldi’s casual remark about the band’s diverse music collections. One early fan described their hard-edged but accessible, guitar-fuelled tunes as “psychedelic power pop folk punk rock,” and that’s not wide of the mark. The band distills it all into a distinctive and surprisingly big sound despite the compact three-piece lineup, combining a keen sense of melody with a healthy dose of sharp wit, solid hooks, and harmonies galore.