Sunparlour Players: A Little Bit City, A Little Bit Country

11/19/08 1:45pm

by Matt Littlefair (CHARTattack)

The Sunparlour Players are a study in dichotomy. Their music is an amalgam of rock 'n' roll and country, and their lyrics reveal a rural sensibility with an urban bent. It's something lead singer, songwriter and founding member Andrew Penner says comes — at least partially — from his upbringing on a Mennonite tomato farm just outside of Windsor, Ont.

"There's this one farm that I used to go to and in the back of the bush, in the middle of nowhere, you can see the Detroit skyline," says the soft-spoken Penner. "Clear as day, but it feels like you're hundreds of miles away from anything. That view always sticks out for me as a really clear idea of where I grew up, so that's where a lot of the lyrics come from."

After several years of hard work, including a year-long residency at Toronto's Tranzac Club, the Toronto-based trio recently signed with Baudelaire. In the process, they remastered their previously self-released Hymns For The Happy debut. Each song is marked by impeccable, inventive musicianship and Penner's
ability to shift his vocals from a gentle, even timbre to a visceral growl. It's an outstanding debut from a band to watch.

The following is a Listen Up article taken from the December 2007 issue of Chart Magazine. To purchase the issue, head on over to the Chart Shop.