CocoaMusic: Mother Mother--Touch Up (2007)

Artist-Mother Mother
Album-Touch Up
Genre/Style-Indie Pop
Release date-Feb 27, 2007

Offcial site and Myspace

Who is the Mother Mother?-

Mother Mother is a weird and wonderful band from Vancouver, Canada. In January of 2005, singer and guitarist Ryan Guldemond recruited his older sister Molly and college chum Debra-Jean Creelman to sing harmonies on a stock of original material. The three performed as an acoustic trio for some time before recruiting Kenton Loewen on drums and Jeremy Page on bass, turning Mother Mother into a five piece band. In the fall of 2005 they independently released a self titled CD recorded with Howard Redekopp (The New Pornographers, Teagan and Sara).

Although their debut album barely saw the light of day, it did receive high praise from the media and public alike. The Vancouver Province gave Mother Mother's eponymous CD an 'A' grade and rated them one of the top five BC bands to watch for in 2007. The CBC remarked that Mother Mother is "pure ear candy" and gave the band some great exposure by landing them a nationally broadcasted gig opening for K'naan and the Wailin' Jennys. In the summer of 2006 they played to a sold out Commodore Ballroom as part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival opening for Australia's The Cat Empire. Shortly after, they made their Eastern Canadian debut performing as part of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, followed by a string of Toronto shows, including The Harbourfront Centre Festival where they shared the bill with Montreal's The Dears, and a showcase at Sneeky Dee's opening for Think About Life. A full page article was printed in the Toronto Star about the band with the headline, "This Mother grows up quickly", and apt title as the band had not yet seen its second birthday.

When Mother Mother returned to Montreal in October, 2006 to play the Pop Montreal Festival, the crowd included representatives from their future label home, Last Gang Records (Metric, Death From Above 1979). Shortly thereafter they started planning for a re-release of their first album for February, 2007. This release, entitled Touch Up would include new artwork, overdubs, and two new songs.

On Mother Mother's Touch Up, you'll find a collection of catchy songs encompassing a brand of post modern pop music that defies formulaic approaches of contemporary songwriting. The genre promiscuity found on the album is held together by a signature sound of three unique voices that weave in and out of harmony and shared leads. Also vital to Mother Mother's music is its lyrical component, which describes in a wry, observational fashion the beautiful and beastly behavior of a socially inept world. Musically, the group is quite sharp, all having studied jazz and classical art forms. These traditional approaches combined with current pop and indie rock sensibilities make for a refreshing original sound, which is why Mother Mother is forging its own path in today's music scene. The live show is yet another component to the rising success of Mother Mother. With infectious stage chemistry and high energy, the five are able to recreate the essence of their recorded music while also bringing an element of spontaneity and abandon to each performance.