In August of 2006, French horn player Pietro Amato, drummer Julien Poissant and Wurlitzer/synth practitioner Mathieu Charbonneau spent a month in the Eastern Townships drinking whisky, playing ping pong and making music in a renovated barn. Known collectively as Torngat, the three indoor sportsmen used the period of rural isolation to cultivate their creative energies and musical versatility, not to mention their hand-eye coordination. The Montreal band's latest release, You Could Be, is the result of the idyllic summer retreat and does full justice to the expectations that such a classic combination of activities naturally inspires.
"We're an instrumental trio and we make magic," said Amato recently, clearly proud not only of his self-proclaimed ping-pong-champion status, but also of the music that fresh air, a rustic setting and good hooch helped shepherd into being. Though Torngat already has four recordings to their name, including their self-titled debut and the 2005 EP La Rouge, You Could Be is the group's first full-length album and truly proves to be all it could be.
Featuring ambient, instrumental melodies, You Could Be puts Torngat in the same neighborhood as other heavily instrumental pop/rock bands (such as Arcade Fire, with whom Amato plays from time to time), but not necessarily on the same block. Calling their music "chamber pop," Torngat is less about brooding, guitar-driven crescendos and more about playfully whimsical, frequently fantastical compositions. Thanks to their optimistic approach, as well as the happy omission of the frequently preachy lyrics typical of similarly categorized bands, Torngat avoids the pitfalls of pretence, pomp and self-absorption.
Depth and drama are not neglected, however, as the driving rhythms of "Minute by Minute" or "Suite c) L'Ocean, La Nuit" demonstrate. And though the combination of French horn, drums and synthesizer would seem to premise an unusual and not necessarily attractive sound, all three musicians are talented multi-instrumentalists (Poissant has been known to play trumpet, keyboard, bass drum and high-hat simultaneously) and their music is lusciously full-sounding.
"It's a lot of trial and error and improvising and fucking around with all the instruments we have," said Amato of the album's robust tone. "It's kind of like whatever's lying around and just trial and error. You'll play a melody and then be like, that's a great melody, let's try playing it completely distorted with this harpsichord, or something. And then it's like, it's awesome, let's put a delay pedal on that.'
You Could Be also represents a departure for Torngat from an emphasis on live material to more studio-oriented works.
"In the past we used to only write music to be live," said Amato, "and gradually I think having a bit more experience in the studio we're learning how to make records as records. It's a constant evolution and I think we're in the process of that evolution right now. "
Despite the difficulties this approach is bound to create, Amato insists that the band's already substantial live following has not been neglected.
"It's a pretty mellow record," he said, "and we wanted the live show to grab you a bit more so we definitely left some space for improvisation in some pieces and place to rock out a bit more."
Despite deceptively easy categorization with other instrumental Montreal bands, it's clear that Torngat has their own thing going. Since their formation at Concordia University in 2001, the band has made quick strides, both in terms of musical sophistication and popularity. While all of their previous recordings have been self-released, You Could Be is a product of Alien8 records, home to such bands as Japanese experimental-psychedelic outfit Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. and the now defunct but still beloved Unicorns.
"We've been playing together for a really long time and we've always kind of kept to ourselves," Amato said. "We've been independent up until now and up until last year we were doing all of our own booking, all of our own promoting. Not really riding any waves."
Even with a lengthy tour still ahead, Torngat is already planning for the future.
"We've talked about going a little bit crazy and recording something kind of insane… a little bit experimental," said Amato. "We recenlty got an old pump-organ. It's huge and takes up so much space and just kind of sits there because it's so out of tune, but we've all written pieces on it and definitely plan on using it for recordings in the future."
If the band's sporting proclivities are any indication, the switch from ping-pong to tennis may be an omen of things to come. What kind of music the big rackets, outdoor court and bouncy yellow balls will inspire, we'll just have to wait and see.
Torngat launches You Could Be on September 19 at La Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent). Call (514) 284-0122 for ticket info.
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