lae-tseu / a chair in hawaii

lae-tseu / a chair in hawaii

marc lucas ablasou
ronald jean-gilles
christian pelletier
sebastien paquet
victoria morrison

Among Montreals post-punk pioneers, Lae-Tseu (1996-2003), were by far the most talented band. Live shows were an experience where pop kids could only wonder where the hell the music was coming from. Ridiculously overamped guitars, these guys knew how to make you believe their amps were turn to eleven even when they were playing the most simple quiet parts and it was going head to head with the pounding bass lines, jazzy /deconstructed drumming and delayed /distorted vocals. This band was leaving you shell-shocked, ears ringing and deaf as fuck when performing their rare chaotic prestations, each could have been transform into a baroom brawls any moment. Far too sonically inventive and lyrically witty to sit alongside the flavor of the month, the band took the intricate structure of their songs a stage further than most punks were prepared to go. After a decade of musical experimentation, they called it quits Unfortunately, their full-length record never got finished, mainly due to drug abuse by some of the members, but whatever - they are not looking for redemption or excuses - it was the driving force behind the improvised freakouts of their shows. Thanks to this, Lae-tseu's outsider status was perhaps inevitable. Nevertheless, they attracted a loyal, flamboyantly elitist tribe of fans. Without trying too hard, these boys and one gal were creating some wonderfull, yet terribly overlooked music because of its uniqueness. "One of montreal's more unique acts, it's great to hear lae-tseu recorded. Now, i can stop going to bars where i have to talk to people and pretend i care. This is gothy emo-screamo stuff with keys, male and female vocals, sometimes trumpet, violent and sweet respectively, sometimes marc's vocals are freakin' scary, snakey Cramps-y kinda flavour on some numbers, Camera Obscura influence on others, with swirly breakdowns and ambient noise. Anguished, depressing stuff. The liner notes say it will make you dance, in shows yes, on record? Well, if you are into weird slow dancing i guess, think dysfunctionnal high school dance, biting your date's neck and tasting orange blossom."-Chloe Lum, 2003 Fishpiss zine "There seems to be some confusion surrounding this show. Is it a Lae-tseu reunion? Did they ever break up? Is it a Lae-Tseu spin off? This reporter has no idea, but he does know that this will be and excellent show and a rare chance to see Lae-Tseu's dark and frantic assault."-McGillDaily.com / Dave's fridge / Nov 2004 (lae-tseu 1996-2004 RIP)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• emo
• post
• punk
• montreal