Send "The Most Serene Republic " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 "The smartest thing a record label can do is sign a bunch of kids at 19, and then trick them into documenting their lives for the next six to 10 years." So mused Ryan Lenssen, a founding member of the Most Serene Republic, upon the release of the band's most accomplished record, 2009's ...And The Ever Expanding Universe. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lenssen was 19 when the Most Serene Republic began releasing their take on baroque, kitchen-sink pop, in the process becoming the became the first non-Broken Social Scene-related project to sign to Arts & Crafts. Now they dig back into their vault to remaster and release eight tracks from Thee Oneironauts, a band that Lenssen and two other members of the Republic played in when they were 18. The resulting collection, Pre Serene: Thee Oneironauts, is as gawky as a middle school yearbook photo: It sounds like it was made by teenagers who play immoderate amounts of Zelda, like to write songs about 1980s movies that they think are really awesome, and do not yet feel the artistic need to disguise or complicate either of those artistic impulses. O sweet, guileless youth.Thee Oneironauts shows that even at an age when most would-be musicians are fiddling with distortion pedals and refining their teen angst, current Republic members Lenssen, Adrian Jewett, and Nick Greaves (along with non-Republic-an Emily Hunt) were always in the business of bleeding heart earnestness and ornate compositions. Unfortunately, Thee Oneironauts were unable to unite either of those things in intriguing ways, and this collection of their recordings comes off as skittish, cluttered, and excessively maudlin. "Today Is the Day" sounds like the work of a young band equally enamored with the Postal Service and the fact that synths can sometimes sound like rocket ships, while the tone and lyrics of the unreasonably long "St. Germain" aim for romantic but miss the mark. We now know that these guys would later develop into better songwriters, but this record doesn't offer much evidence in support. Still, Thee Oneironauts' most cringeworthy moment, "Zoltar Speaks" (yes, it's a song told from the point of view of Tom Hanks' character in Big) serves as a pithy thematic summary: This is a document of the anxieties of growing up. It's full of the sort of details and feelings that few of us sensible grown-ups would commit to tape (the lyrics to "The Breath" sound like facts that the band members memorized for their high school history class: "1896: the first movie shown/ 1912: the Titanic went down"), and there's a certain charm to a document like that. But this one is something that only very loyal fans of the band will be able to appreciate; the rest will probably be left wondering why they took these recordings out of the vault in the first place....full text |
| Inyourspeakers |
| Thee Oneironauts (from the Greek “oneiros” – meaning “to dream”) is a musical pre-quel to the band that now claims its fame as The Most Serene Republic. Written in 2003, when most of them were about 18, the album is filled not with the tales of angst and teen woes that one might expect, but of songs that tell the stories of good lives lived in nice homes in the Toronto 'burbs. Adrian Jewett, Ryan Lenssen, and Nick Greaves have all been friends since they were kids and grew up together. Thee Oneironauts was made before the three friends, and their fouth member, Emily Hunt (who plays sax and sings back up) went off to college. The project had a muddled start when Ryan began his solo project with five tracks. Turns out that Adrian liked them so much that he wanted to do some vocals. Those tracks became the Night of the Lawn Chairs EP, which caught the attention of Adrian and Ryan’s other friend, Nick, who added in some guitars to round out the sound. Even though The Most Serene Republic is still a young band, they’re wise beyond their years. This is a philosophy we should all aspire to; “So stop complaining about the world and make out with someone again for the first time. Grow your hair a little longer and dream of your youth, even if it was shit, dream it with us again.” “Zoltar Speaks” (inspired by the key fortune teller machine scenes in the movie "Big") is their tremendously fun, catchy first single from the EP. The track doesn’t just show flashes of brilliance, it is entirely brilliant. So, how do Thee Oneironauts stack up to Most Serene Republic? You can certainly see the MSR roots, but it’s a much different band. More indie pop, less indie rock. But, a great, fresh (believe it or not) sound. The 8-song EP will be available on May 24th. Be sure to check it out (links to the right)!...full text |
| Popwreckoning |
| Milton, Ontario’s The Most Serene Republic have released full-length album Pre Serene: Thee Oneironauts via Home of the Rebel record label run by the band themselves. This eight-song collection features music written before the formation of the band by three members: Nick Greaves, Adrian Jewett and Ryan Lenssen. With saxophone and back up vocals by songstress Emily Hunt, the album was recorded in its entirety in the basements of parent’s homes. Pre Serene: Thee Oneironauts marks the first time this early and previously unreleased material is available to the public, remastered off burned CDs by Ryan Lenssen. The Most Serene Republic will perform in their hometown of Milton, ON on June 4 before the big city show for NXNE in Toronto, ON, June 17. Visit the band’s official site for more information and to purchase the album. www.themostserenerepublic.com...full text |
The Most Serene Republic lyrics
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