Canasta
Posted on May 1, 2010
Filed under Previews
Chicago’s own Canasta has released three records of chamber-pop goodness since 2003: the Find the Time EP, their debut full-length We Were Set Up, and the companion remix record We Were Mixed Up, on which likeminded artists contributed their own interpretation of the original songs. Matt Priest and violinist Elizabeth Lindau formed the group in the hopes of bringing an eclectic cadre of musicians to the band. The sextet’s first EP contained the song “Slow Down Chicago” that helped put them on the map (the song recently was used in a trailer for a Matthew Broderick film called Diminished Capacity). It’s been a few years since We Were Set Up came out, but this month the band will release their long-awaited sophomore record The Fakeout, the Tease and the Breather. Akin to fellow Chicago chamber-poppers or “orch-pop” bands like Head of Femur and The 1900s, Canasta’s violin-infused tunes should help keep the genre floating along nicely. (Appearing at Schubas for two shows on May 8) –text: Garin Pirnia–photo: Sarah Hadley / sarahhadley.com