Dragonette

Concept: 3 out of 5
Execution: 3 out of 5
Yeah, but: I'm the last person to ask.


The Long Version: I feel a little silly reviewing music or a band, since I'm definitely the least-qualified reviewer on this blog to do it, and while my musical tastes are varied I have no actual knowledge of the subject. But if I let things like skill, qualification, and knowledge matter this time, where will it end? It's a troubling precedent.

I found Dragonette when they were giving a free concert for Toronto's Cavalcade of Lights -- the start of bright-christmas-tree season at City Hall (reviewed) -- on December 13, 2008. They had an hour-long show, but I have to confess that I missed half of it. What I did hear was interesting: lively, energetic music that falls somewhere between pop and electronic, and maybe a few other influences mixed in as well. The crowd was also mixed, with ages ranging from infants to their parents, and was having a good time. To be fair, I didn't check the reactions of the people who were just there to skate.

With the magic of the internet, I was able to go on iTunes and find Galore, which is their first and so-far-only full-length album. The songs' lyrics tend to be edgy verging on explicit, and the ones that I added to my iPod aren't ones that I'd play when my mother-in-law is visiting. It also isn't music to play when you want to sit and savour every subtle acoustical nuance - that's what Blue Man Group is for. But it's great for anything active, like a dance club or housework.

Dragonette's lead singer is Martina Sorbara, whose last name will be familiar to many in Ontario. Her father, Greg, is the former Member of Provincial Parliament for York Centre, where I lived at the time, and also served as Finance Minister. (His name was also mistakenly included on a search warrant or two involving a real-estate development company coincidentally called the Sorbara Group.) Dragonette's drummer is Joel Stouffer, Will Stapleton plays guitar, and Dan Kurtz plays keyboards. He's also married to Martina, which makes her motivations in the video to "I Get Around" seem a little suspect - but I digress.