There is a place... and the place sounds cuddly

The Choir Practice - "I See Things"

I'm a bit late on this one.

I grabbed this a month ago, and after an initial bout of self-loathing, I reluctantly--and then utterly--warmed to this Vancouver ensemble, despite it being only a degree or two removed from my least favorite of the collegiate performing arts. Surely, I need not spell that one out.

The Choir Practice could be The Polyphonic Spree--just, you know, minus the strings, theremins, flugelhorns, overinflated love of Electric Light Orchestra, robes, religious/militant connotations, and Tim DeLaughter. There are ten of them, all originally from Vancouver mainstays like The New Pornographers, P:ano and Great Aunt Ida, and they're abetted by a piano, the occasional guitar, tambourines, and many, many hand claps. My initial, ten-second impression? Eccchh.

And yet, I find "I See Things," and the rest of The Choir Practice's recent debut, to be both novel and overdue from a country that, in the last decade, has birthed dozens of permutations of the large indie-rock ensemble, but none so centered on vocals. The Choir Practice was the last thing I expected to like this year.

(Plus, it doesn't hurt that The Choir Practice have what is basically the most descriptive band name since Funkadelic.)