What You Want

After the release of Bellevue's first two albums to growing critical acclaim, the Toronto based band has done anything but rest on their laurels. WHAT YOU WANT promises to take listeners deeper into Bellevue's lyrically colourful and catchy pop rock universe. With songs that put the harsh and human specifics of break ups and make ups unflinchingly under the microscope, the music itself--guitar driven with sweet, poppy harmonies--manages to make light of some of the darker parts of life. Far from the average heartbreak record, this album has an authentically raw spirit that draws the listener in. It's about getting back on your feet, about getting a little too drunk, about drumming on dashboards and singing along. Never before has falling apart sounded like so much fun. The collaborative nature of the band's lineup (keyboardist/guitarist Rob Hedge, drummer Jordan Bruce, bassist Dan Snyder and lead guitarist/vocalist and principle songwriter Brent Hough) makes WHAT YOU WANT a compelling work by confident and accomplished musicians in their own right (Hough and Bruce worked on last year's Juno-nominated 1977 album). Recorded and mixed last year at London, Ontario's House of Miracles by Andy Magoffin (who's worked with a host of other Canadian greats including Great Lake Swimmers, Constantines and Jim Guthrie), Bellevue's latest is a masterful power pop record confirming that they are indeed "Toronto's best unsigned band" (NOW, August 2008). -Meghan Sheffield