Just in...Big Sir: Before Gardens After Gardens

    Big Sir is the collaboration of singer Lisa Papineau and bassist Juan Alderete. Before Gardens After Gardens (Feb. 7, 2012) is their third full album, the others being Big Sir (2000) and Und Die Scheiße Ändert Sich Immer (2006). They also released a remix of Big Sir in 2001 called Now That's What I Call Big Sir. Their website is here.
    Lisa Papineau is a solo artist who has a couple releases to her credit through Sargent House Records, most recently Red Trees (2010)  but also Night Moves (2006). Plus, she put out an album with Matthew Embree under the moniker EM & LP, Chez Raymond, just August of last year. Among others, she has performed with the French electronica band, Air (on their third album, 10,000 Hz Legend, in 2001); with M83, though I have not been able to track down what albums or songs; and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez on Cizaña de los Amores (2010), which I have previously written up here. Lisa Papineau's website is here.
    Juan Alderete (or John Alderete as sometimes credited) has had a much more extensive career, as part of the following groups: heavy metal band, Racer X, which started in 1986 and whose last album was in 2002; The Mars Volta as their bassists for all but their debut album; and with the Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group for a large number of releases. You can read more here.
    Big Sir has a unique sound, which is mainly the combination of Lisa Papineau's distinctive vocal timbre and the bass sound that Juan Alderete has made a standard with Big Sir. Overall, their songs tend to fall into two categories, (1) the more experimental, electronic sounds included, or (2) simple vocals and bass, with generally nice melodies and pleasant to listen to. One is more avante-garde, the other is more accessible. Before Gardens After Gardens, however, branches out a bit more with the inclusion of more members. There is a greater emphasis on the drums, guitars, keyboards, and electronic sounds as a whole, instead of having a more pared down sound. I do find some of the keyboards or electronic beats a little wonky, or fake sounding, purposefully so I reckon, because it is not as if they do have the capability to produce quality MIDI. Consequently, for me, this is a hit or a miss, some songs are really nice, others are take it or leave it. For example, track two, "Ready on the Line", is quality, but the next track, "Infidels", is limited in my mind by its electronics. Some other musically pleasing songs are "Old Blood" or "The Kindest Hour", the latter including some nice Andrew Bird-esque violin playing by Heather Lockie.
    Check out the entire album streaming on Bandcamp here. If you want to hear the typical Big Sir bass sound, listen to "The Ladder". Or just check out the song "Ready on the Line" over under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks'. Listen to hear something new, or just to enjoy!