The Most Supreme Republic Ride Again

The Most Serene Republic made their annual stop in Philly last week and brought with them a new variation on their sound and a new EP, Fantasick Impossibliss. They were still the musical troupe dedicated to making discordant harmonies and unpredictable progressions sound curiously delectable but gone was their fiercely awesome guitarist Emma Ditchburn whose voice was often the bow the wrapped up their chaotic package of notes. I was immediately intrigued to hear what this new variation on the TMSR theme would sound like.

The set was short and, as usual, not particularly invested in creating a perfect sound but rather music that is just slightly skewed and therefore appealing to inquisitive ears wanting to make sense of the arrangements. Lead singer Adrian Jewett’s awkward but endearing stage presence and confidence in this band is part of the TMSR appeal even more so now that Emma has departed. His voice took a song to warm up but after that was all set to attack the off kilter tunes.

Featuring both old and new tracks the set proved that the new incarnation of the group was just as imperfectly perfect as they have always been. The new line up of musicians step up their contribution to the harmonies to round out the sound. The instrumentals were as lush as ever with Adrian’s punchy trombone solos adding a necessary bit of flair. For the most part TMSR arrangements are rather nebulous but when they’re going for a more aggressive sound they can really tighten it up, which was on fine display during the show. While Emma’s role will be missed I think TMSR is headed in the right direction in determining what their current line up is capable of.

[MP3] Heavens To Purgatory

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