Catlow

"Thirsk's lithe, intelligent vocals border on the edge of the ethereal." - AIR MASSIVE

"Thirsk's lithe, intelligent vocals border on the edge of the ethereal." - AIR MASSIVE

"Thirsk's lithe, intelligent vocals border on the edge of the ethereal." - AIR MASSIVE

"Thirsk's lithe, intelligent vocals border on the edge of the ethereal." - AIR MASSIVE

"Thirsk has one of those smokey, sultry voices that manages to maintain a girl-next-door quality and will likely make men and women alike go weak in the knees." - DELUSIONS OF ADEQUACY

"Thirsk has one of those smokey, sultry voices that manages to maintain a girl-next-door quality and will likely make men and women alike go weak in the knees." - DELUSIONS OF ADEQUACY

"The new incarnation of Natasha Thirsk, singer of the Dirtmitts, she easily achieves a flow between innovation and power pop." - Now Magazine

"The new incarnation of Natasha Thirsk, singer of the Dirtmitts, she easily achieves a flow between innovation and power pop." - Now Magazine

"Former Dirtmitts singer Natasha Thirsk steals the show with her solo recording "Don't Think", a gorgeous acoustic tune that features an incessant, extremely catchy chorus ... Euphoric." - Popmatters

"The debut from Catlow, her latest band, the disc at times recalls the peculiar time signatures and eerie melodies of New York art-rock band Blonde Redhead. Other tracks, like "Number One" and "Added Up," recall the raw, primal urgency of ... The Dirtmitts." - VANCOUVER COURIER

"The debut from Catlow, her latest band, the disc at times recalls the peculiar time signatures and eerie melodies of New York art-rock band Blonde Redhead. Other tracks, like "Number One" and "Added Up," recall the raw, primal urgency of ... The Dirtmitts." - VANCOUVER COURIER

Natasha Thirsk was born into a musical family. She grew up listening to her father play the saxophone and her mother play the piano. It wasn't long before she realized music-making came easy for her as well. Thirsk taught herself to play the guitar by age 21 after learning to program dance-beats for two years.

The Dirtmitts of Vancouver came and went, Thirsk redefined herself by creating a solo act and the fruit of her labour is Kiss the World, Catlow's first album. It was recorded at Studio 9 in Los, Angeles, CA after three years of hard work. Boompa's press-page (her label) claims that fans of artsists like Blonde Redhead will enjoy Catlow's album but Thirsk's music is about 10 times more accessible. Catlow is the new Metric and Kiss the World is very much a new take on Old World Underground.
The bass-line for "Add Up," which appears to be the single for Kiss the World, features a bass-line reminiscent of Sonic Youth's "Goo." In fact, many of the darker tonal qualities of the record seem to nod in that direction.

Natasha Thirsk proves she has what it takes to make a mark in Canada’s musical fabric. We estimate it won’t take her long.

When I call for our interview she’s napping. It’s understandable, I mean she’s a busy girl. Last night her new band Catlow played a show with their Boompa label-mates, The Ladies and Gentlemen.

“We played a pretty big show last night, and I have to sing backup for this other band tonight. I was kind of watching the Family Guy, since we bought the DVD’s, and I kind of drifted off there for a second,” Thirsk explains.

Some of you may recall Natasha’s previous band, the much-touted Dirtmitts, and their two albums released on Sonic Unyon. The Dirtmitts have recently parted ways, but Ms Thirsk has returned to the Canadian indie-rock scene with a new cast of characters and a new record.

“After our second album was released [Get On], I basically had to change the whole line-up,” she says. “My original bass player that I started the band with, Jen Deon, she had a lovely baby girl, and at the same time my guitarist got married and moved to England. It was awesome, though, and I was still playing with all these great people, but I wanted to start all over with something completely original. I didn’t want to just keep going under the same pretenses musically. This time I wrote everything and I just wanted to get a different idea across.”

This is not Thirsk’s first foray without her dirty mittens. The Boompa Records sampler released last year featured an older song, “Don’t Think,” recorded just for the compilation.

“The song from the sampler is four or five years old,” says Thirsk. “I did that one with Roger Swan, who’s working on the new Swollen Members album right now. He’s this big hip-hop guy, but he’s a good friend of mine and I just wanted to try something totally different.”

So does this mean there’s a possibility for a rap record in the near future?

“Yeah, Christian rap… with a little bit of metal.”

Leaving behind the straight-ahead alt-rock of the Dirtmitts (sans rap, of course), Thirsk created an entirely new entity for herself in Catlow. The group’s debut album, Kiss the World, blends genres as though they were fine liqueurs into one supreme beverage, umbrella and all.

“I write so many different styles of music. I started off writing dance music, then I got into indie rock, and then I write sad songs…(laughter)… sad Christian rap songs, too! It’s okay, I think, to mix up a few styles on an album. It makes it interesting,” she says.

And she has achieved success. Kiss the World ranges from straight-out rockers like “Number One,” “The Weekend” and the album’s title-track, to acoustic numbers like “Sun in My Eyes” and “Ocean Space Sand,” and then on to dance-floor movers like “Iamloved.” Influences for an album like this are difficult to pin down, as they seem to vary for every track.

“It’s funny because I got this really obvious reference to G - Beatroute

Natasha Thirsk was born into a musical family. She grew up listening to her father play the saxophone and her mother play the piano. It wasn't long before she realized music-making came easy for her as well. Thirsk taught herself to play the guitar by age 21 after learning to program dance-beats for two years.

The Dirtmitts of Vancouver came and went, Thirsk redefined herself by creating a solo act and the fruit of her labour is Kiss the World, Catlow's first album. It was recorded at Studio 9 in Los, Angeles, CA after three years of hard work. Boompa's press-page (her label) claims that fans of artsists like Blonde Redhead will enjoy Catlow's album but Thirsk's music is about 10 times more accessible. Catlow is the new Metric and Kiss the World is very much a new take on Old World Underground.
The bass-line for "Add Up," which appears to be the single for Kiss the World, features a bass-line reminiscent of Sonic Youth's "Goo." In fact, many of the darker tonal qualities of the record seem to nod in that direction.

Natasha Thirsk proves she has what it takes to make a mark in Canada’s musical fabric. We estimate it won’t take her long.

When I call for our interview she’s napping. It’s understandable, I mean she’s a busy girl. Last night her new band Catlow played a show with their Boompa label-mates, The Ladies and Gentlemen.

“We played a pretty big show last night, and I have to sing backup for this other band tonight. I was kind of watching the Family Guy, since we bought the DVD’s, and I kind of drifted off there for a second,” Thirsk explains.

Some of you may recall Natasha’s previous band, the much-touted Dirtmitts, and their two albums released on Sonic Unyon. The Dirtmitts have recently parted ways, but Ms Thirsk has returned to the Canadian indie-rock scene with a new cast of characters and a new record.

“After our second album was released [Get On], I basically had to change the whole line-up,” she says. “My original bass player that I started the band with, Jen Deon, she had a lovely baby girl, and at the same time my guitarist got married and moved to England. It was awesome, though, and I was still playing with all these great people, but I wanted to start all over with something completely original. I didn’t want to just keep going under the same pretenses musically. This time I wrote everything and I just wanted to get a different idea across.”

This is not Thirsk’s first foray without her dirty mittens. The Boompa Records sampler released last year featured an older song, “Don’t Think,” recorded just for the compilation.

“The song from the sampler is four or five years old,” says Thirsk. “I did that one with Roger Swan, who’s working on the new Swollen Members album right now. He’s this big hip-hop guy, but he’s a good friend of mine and I just wanted to try something totally different.”

So does this mean there’s a possibility for a rap record in the near future?

“Yeah, Christian rap… with a little bit of metal.”

Leaving behind the straight-ahead alt-rock of the Dirtmitts (sans rap, of course), Thirsk created an entirely new entity for herself in Catlow. The group’s debut album, Kiss the World, blends genres as though they were fine liqueurs into one supreme beverage, umbrella and all.

“I write so many different styles of music. I started off writing dance music, then I got into indie rock, and then I write sad songs…(laughter)… sad Christian rap songs, too! It’s okay, I think, to mix up a few styles on an album. It makes it interesting,” she says.

And she has achieved success. Kiss the World ranges from straight-out rockers like “Number One,” “The Weekend” and the album’s title-track, to acoustic numbers like “Sun in My Eyes” and “Ocean Space Sand,” and then on to dance-floor movers like “Iamloved.” Influences for an album like this are difficult to pin down, as they seem to vary for every track.

“It’s funny because I got this really obvious reference to G - Beatroute

Catlow Kiss the World
Vancouver's Natasha Thirsk comes out of the gate roaring on a debut record that manages to effortlessly unite new-age guitar introspection, cool electronic grooves, and tough-chick anthem-making. Play "The Weekend" on a Wednesday morning and it will immediately turn into Friday night. - The Georgia Straight

Catlow Kiss the World
Vancouver's Natasha Thirsk comes out of the gate roaring on a debut record that manages to effortlessly unite new-age guitar introspection, cool electronic grooves, and tough-chick anthem-making. Play "The Weekend" on a Wednesday morning and it will immediately turn into Friday night. - The Georgia Straight

Catlow Kiss the World
Vancouver's Natasha Thirsk comes out of the gate roaring on a debut record that manages to effortlessly unite new-age guitar introspection, cool electronic grooves, and tough-chick anthem-making. Play "The Weekend" on a Wednesday morning and it will immediately turn into Friday night. - The Georgia Straight

Lunn should definitely get some credit for graciously giving props to local openers Elias and Catlow. The latter seemed to take full advantage of its plum opening slot by breathlessly bashing out smart pop-rock bombs from its 2005 debut Kiss the World. A harder, frill-less version of frontwoman Natasha Thirsk's previous outfit, the Dirtmitts, the quartet impressed at least one audience member. “She [Thirsk] kicks ass,” said the guy standing next to me. “She can sing, and she rocks.” Of course, this was said just a few minutes before the dude dropped his glass of draft on the dance floor. But he knew what he was talking about. - The Georgia Straight

At this point, Natasha Thirsk is probably used to hearing her songs on TV. The Catlow singer's old band, the Dirtmitts, had its songs used in small- and big-screen productions such as 24, Just Deal, American Psycho 2, and The L Word. Now, a Dirtmitts track called “Ordinary Day” is being used as the opening theme for the new CTV series Whistler, which is set and shot in the B.C. mountain-resort town of the title. How did “Ordinary Day” make the cut? “I think the creator of the show [Kelly Senecal] was a fan of the Dirtmitts and of Catlow,” Thirsk told the Straight. “He said he wanted something that was uplifting but kind of creepy. I guess that song fit.”

Thirsk said that the series, which premiered on June 25, will feature more songs by both Catlow and the Dirtmitts as its first season progresses. She credits Tim Potocic of the Dirtmitts' old label, Sonic Unyon, and Rob Calder of her current label, Boompa””along with her own ceaseless networking””with getting her songs into the ears of film and TV producers and music supervisors. Whistler is broadcast across Canada Sunday nights on CTV and also airs in the U.S. on the teen-oriented cable network The N. - The Georgia Straight

At this point, Natasha Thirsk is probably used to hearing her songs on TV. The Catlow singer's old band, the Dirtmitts, had its songs used in small- and big-screen productions such as 24, Just Deal, American Psycho 2, and The L Word. Now, a Dirtmitts track called “Ordinary Day” is being used as the opening theme for the new CTV series Whistler, which is set and shot in the B.C. mountain-resort town of the title. How did “Ordinary Day” make the cut? “I think the creator of the show [Kelly Senecal] was a fan of the Dirtmitts and of Catlow,” Thirsk told the Straight. “He said he wanted something that was uplifting but kind of creepy. I guess that song fit.”

Thirsk said that the series, which premiered on June 25, will feature more songs by both Catlow and the Dirtmitts as its first season progresses. She credits Tim Potocic of the Dirtmitts' old label, Sonic Unyon, and Rob Calder of her current label, Boompa””along with her own ceaseless networking””with getting her songs into the ears of film and TV producers and music supervisors. Whistler is broadcast across Canada Sunday nights on CTV and also airs in the U.S. on the teen-oriented cable network The N. - The Georgia Straight

By Ken Eisner, December 15, 2005
It was early on a drizzly September Friday and just a few industry types, hipsters, and Japanese ESL students were on hand for the rerelease of Kiss the World, the debut CD from Catlow. Bandleader Natasha Thirsk was shocked that anyone showed up for her showcase at the Media Club, but an air of mild surprise appears to be an essential part of Thirsk's music, and her charm.

"There are so many other things to do tonight," said the diminutive singer, looking rather waiflike in her short party dress, while greeting guests at the door. "Why would they be here?" Her midlength blond 'do, parted boyishly on the side, made her unrecognizable from the cover photo, in which she sports a short, dark mop of '80s-style hair reminiscent of Duran Duran album art.

Kiss the World, which filters elements of the Go-Go's, PJ Harvey, and Luscious Jackson through a decidedly post-grunge sensibility, already had a curious business history culminating in this particular night. It was released on the local Boompa label last June, with Universal offering a loose distribution deal. But after a better offer from rival megacompany EMI, the disc was withdrawn until the fall. So an album that wasn't officially out until fall had already been reviewed and spun on radio in early summer. Hence an artist's concern that anyone would bother to attend its second coming-out party.

Still, there were enough people on hand by 8:30 to make it worthwhile for Thirsk to strap on her Telecaster and join her backing trio to bang out a three-tune mini-set, culminating in "The Weekend", the album's first single. To put it simply, the song is the kind of overdriven, three-and-a-half-minute fun ride that makes pop music equally worthwhile for hormone-addled teens and grizzled scene veterans.

Other Kiss cuts, however, have far different tinges, from the Jill Sobule-style folk of "Sun in My Eyes" to the title number's amyl nitrate-fuelled disco to the dark-edged electronica of "Dose". Ultimately, though, the Catlow record hangs together as a unified statement-something made even more remarkable when you discover that the creation of this World was divided between different producers and side musicians in Los Angeles and Vancouver.

Thirsk wrote the tunes, though, and her guitar-playing-alternately gutsy and highly ornamented-centres her unique blend of disparate sounds.

"I have a pretty self-taught style," she said during a call some time after the Media Club event. "Apparently, people enjoy the wacky way I twist my fingers around to make chords."

The singer-songwriter may be an autodidact, but she grew up in an environment guaranteed to bring out her inner musician. Her pianist mother met her husband in church, where he was playing standup bass and soprano saxophone in the Royal Heirs, a white gospel outfit that gigged for something close to 30 years.

"They were Christian," she states, "but not Christian to the hilt."

Still, Thirsk went to religious schools until Grade 5, and this at least afforded her repeated exposure to black gospel sounds. In her early years, the closest she got to actual pop music was an old player piano in the house, with cylinders that contained what she refers to as "old songs", such as "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown".

Thirsk, who was sickly and housebound as a child, took intensive classical piano lessons and "skipped through the grades", she recalls.

"I just took to it right away; I had an innate sense for melody, I guess. And the play between left and right hands fascinated me."

At 12, she began writing "stupid songs" for the hell of it. "I still have some on tape. My sister was always a singer, so I never thought of myself that way; I was always more of a songwriter. But I had songs inside me and needed to get them out, and that meant having to sing them."

In the 1990s, older sis Kristy Thirsk, currently in the Nettwerk band Delerium, got known through her work in the Rose Chronicles. And - The Georgia Straight

My first, and possibly only, NxNE show was catching Catlow, the new nom de plume of Natasha Thirsk, at the Cameron House on Thursday night. If the name is familiar, maybe it’s from her last band The Dirtmitts or if it’s just the surname that’s ringing bells, you may remember sister Kristy from mid-90s Vancouver outfit The Rose Chronicles.
Catlow played solo to a small but well-populated room, accompanying herself on electric guitar Billy Bragg-style. Her material was split up between quieter, delicate singer-songwriter-esque ballads and more aggressive rockers. The louder numbers were muted a bit sonically by the fact that she was playing clean and not especially loudly, but I liked the guitar tone – I thought it was more expressive than if she’d had a distortion pedal handy. With her sweet but edgy voice, Catlow is a bit of a throwback to the alternative 1990s when scrappy female-fronted rock bands were plentiful on the musical landscape – I hear shades of Juliana Hatfield and Veruca Salt in her sound and songwriting. There was probably a tip of the influence cap when she covered ‘Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry” (which you can also hear on her MySpace page).
Ususally more of a full-band guy, I was a little surprised how much I liked the dynamic of her performing solo. I hope I get the chance to compare and contrast if she tours in support of the first Catlow album Kiss The World, which is out on Tuesday and which you can order from the good people at Boompa. Check out the track that’s been stuck in my head for the past day:
MP3: Catlow – “Number One”
Last Fall, Mates Of State initiated a contest wherein fans would create their own videos for “Goods (All In Your Head)” and the best one would be chosen as the official clip for the single. The winner and runner-up have finally been selected and posted. The winning one is alright and has better production values, but damn if G.J. Echternkamp’s dance video isn’t the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long long time. If this is what it means to teach the indie kids to dance, then sign me up. Thanks to Brendan for the tip-off.
This is something I hadn’t expected to see – Billboard reports that Stars will be getting the remix album treatment courtesy of their peers in the Canadian indie rock firmament. In an experience that Torq Campbell likens to letting your friends redecorate your apartment for you, Broken Social Scene, Metric and The Dears, among others, will be remixing tracks from Set Yourself On Fire for release in album form this Fall. I’m not a big fan of remixes (or paying for remixes, anyway), but this could be interesting.
13 & God, the bleepy-bloopy supergroup featuring members of The Notwist and Themselves, will be touring their eponymous album through North America this Fall, starting with a September 15 date at Lee’s Palace. Further tour dates here.
So I’m this week’s feature in The Toronto Star’s “Blog Roll” column. I’m flattered by the shout out (national newspaper, yo) but find it a little ironic considering that I’ve blown off most of NxNE this weekend…
So as I mentioned in the past I’m looking for a turntable. Some reserach indicates that my parents’ old deck would probably need more in repairs and refurbishment than it’s worth (it’s 35 years old), so I’m looking elsewhere. It’s good to see there’s actually a selection of decent entry-level players available from manufacturers like Music Hall, Pro-Ject, Goldring, etc, but they’re still a moderate amount of money, especially considering that I don’t actually own much vinyl (though I did get another 7? sent to me in the mail yesterday and am mildly frustrated I can’t play it). I’m trying to decide between spending the cash on a new table or waiting until an older 80s-era turntable comes across my path for considerably less. I want something decent and sturdy and won’t necessarily be a dead-end if I feel like going further in vinyland upgrading something.
I am wary of spending too much on a turntable for the sole r - Chromewaves

My first, and possibly only, NxNE show was catching Catlow, the new nom de plume of Natasha Thirsk, at the Cameron House on Thursday night. If the name is familiar, maybe it’s from her last band The Dirtmitts or if it’s just the surname that’s ringing bells, you may remember sister Kristy from mid-90s Vancouver outfit The Rose Chronicles.
Catlow played solo to a small but well-populated room, accompanying herself on electric guitar Billy Bragg-style. Her material was split up between quieter, delicate singer-songwriter-esque ballads and more aggressive rockers. The louder numbers were muted a bit sonically by the fact that she was playing clean and not especially loudly, but I liked the guitar tone – I thought it was more expressive than if she’d had a distortion pedal handy. With her sweet but edgy voice, Catlow is a bit of a throwback to the alternative 1990s when scrappy female-fronted rock bands were plentiful on the musical landscape – I hear shades of Juliana Hatfield and Veruca Salt in her sound and songwriting. There was probably a tip of the influence cap when she covered ‘Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry” (which you can also hear on her MySpace page).
Ususally more of a full-band guy, I was a little surprised how much I liked the dynamic of her performing solo. I hope I get the chance to compare and contrast if she tours in support of the first Catlow album Kiss The World, which is out on Tuesday and which you can order from the good people at Boompa. Check out the track that’s been stuck in my head for the past day:
MP3: Catlow – “Number One”
Last Fall, Mates Of State initiated a contest wherein fans would create their own videos for “Goods (All In Your Head)” and the best one would be chosen as the official clip for the single. The winner and runner-up have finally been selected and posted. The winning one is alright and has better production values, but damn if G.J. Echternkamp’s dance video isn’t the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long long time. If this is what it means to teach the indie kids to dance, then sign me up. Thanks to Brendan for the tip-off.
This is something I hadn’t expected to see – Billboard reports that Stars will be getting the remix album treatment courtesy of their peers in the Canadian indie rock firmament. In an experience that Torq Campbell likens to letting your friends redecorate your apartment for you, Broken Social Scene, Metric and The Dears, among others, will be remixing tracks from Set Yourself On Fire for release in album form this Fall. I’m not a big fan of remixes (or paying for remixes, anyway), but this could be interesting.
13 & God, the bleepy-bloopy supergroup featuring members of The Notwist and Themselves, will be touring their eponymous album through North America this Fall, starting with a September 15 date at Lee’s Palace. Further tour dates here.
So I’m this week’s feature in The Toronto Star’s “Blog Roll” column. I’m flattered by the shout out (national newspaper, yo) but find it a little ironic considering that I’ve blown off most of NxNE this weekend…
So as I mentioned in the past I’m looking for a turntable. Some reserach indicates that my parents’ old deck would probably need more in repairs and refurbishment than it’s worth (it’s 35 years old), so I’m looking elsewhere. It’s good to see there’s actually a selection of decent entry-level players available from manufacturers like Music Hall, Pro-Ject, Goldring, etc, but they’re still a moderate amount of money, especially considering that I don’t actually own much vinyl (though I did get another 7? sent to me in the mail yesterday and am mildly frustrated I can’t play it). I’m trying to decide between spending the cash on a new table or waiting until an older 80s-era turntable comes across my path for considerably less. I want something decent and sturdy and won’t necessarily be a dead-end if I feel like going further in vinyland upgrading something.
I am wary of spending too much on a turntable for the sole r - Chromewaves

Natasha Thirsk used to lead Vancouver’s Dirtmitts but has since struck out on her own under the nom the plume of Catlow. Her debut album will sound pretty familar to anyone who lived through the alterna-girl rock heyday of the early- to mid-nineties, as the combination of Thirsk’s sweet vocals and fuzzed guitars wouldn’t have been out of place alongside Juliana Hatfield, Veruca Salt or Letters To Cleo. There’s snarling rockers, gentle ballads and some electronic-y bits thrown in for good measure. Some of the numbers feel a overly synthetic in the production and the gamut of styles are maybe a little too eclectic for the album’s own good, but Thirsk’s voice is fantastic and a treat to listen to, even if it does make me feel old to realize that it’s been over twelve years since I bought Become What You Are on cassette.
MP3: Catlow – “Number One”
MP3: Catlow – “Don’t Think”
Catlow @ MySpace - Chromewaves

Catlow “Iamloved” - There’s no getting around this song’s obvious resemblence to Goldfrapp’s “Train,” but really, if we’re going to have so many lousy clones of far lesser songs, I really don’t mind having some really well executed variations on music that actually rules. Surely we all have a LOT more sexy vampy shufflepop numbers to write before that style is even remotely as ubiquitous as, say, garage rockers, faux-Dylan troubadour crap, post-Green Day pop-punk, or anything involving heavy metal. (Click here to buy it from Boompa.) - Flux Blog

Catlow “Iamloved” - There’s no getting around this song’s obvious resemblence to Goldfrapp’s “Train,” but really, if we’re going to have so many lousy clones of far lesser songs, I really don’t mind having some really well executed variations on music that actually rules. Surely we all have a LOT more sexy vampy shufflepop numbers to write before that style is even remotely as ubiquitous as, say, garage rockers, faux-Dylan troubadour crap, post-Green Day pop-punk, or anything involving heavy metal. (Click here to buy it from Boompa.) - Flux Blog

Catlow “Kiss The World (Cadence Weapon ‘Good Looks’ Remix)” - Catlow’s original mix was fine enough, but Cadence Weapon does a good job of roughing it up and upping the oomph level across the board. On Catlow’s intinerary in this song: Discos, rock shows, driving into the shadows. Godspeed! (Click here for Boompa’s Catlow site.)
- Flux Blog

Catlow “Kiss The World (Cadence Weapon ‘Good Looks’ Remix)” - Catlow’s original mix was fine enough, but Cadence Weapon does a good job of roughing it up and upping the oomph level across the board. On Catlow’s intinerary in this song: Discos, rock shows, driving into the shadows. Godspeed! (Click here for Boompa’s Catlow site.)
- Flux Blog

Ski bums, sex, murder -- and music?
Whistler, the new homegrown television series that premieres tomorrow night on CTV, is hitching a ride on The O.C . bandwagon. The creators of this 13-part drama are hoping they can take obscure Canadian indie bands and turn them into mainstream hits in the same way that the soapy U.S. teen drama made stars out of the Killers and Modest Mouse.
"I think we've easily got a dozen acts that will be huge in a year from now, or even a few months," says show creator and executive producer Kelly Senecal, who selected most of the pre-recorded music for the soundtrack from his own collection. "Catlow could be the next Death Cab for Cutie."
Catlow who?
That's what they said five years ago, when Death Cab for Cutie was just another rock band from Seattle getting little to no radio play.
Then came The O.C., a nighttime soap that has become almost as well known for its music sequences as its steamy storylines. Seth Cohen, the show's resident music nerd, dropped the band's name. "Don't diss the Death Cabs," he told another character. Then the band performed live in an episode. Almost immediately, Death Cab for Cutie sold 200,000 copies of its CD Transatlanticism (about 10 times more than any of its previous discs) and the big labels came knocking. (The band signed with Atlantic.)
The O.C. has grown into an alternative-music pop-culture phenomenon. In three seasons, the hit Fox series has released five CD compilations. Although Death Cab for Cutie has probably been the greatest beneficiary of the so-called O.C. effect, the show has substantially boosted the profile of other indie bands (the Killers, the Thrills and Modest Mouse all signed with major labels after being on the show) and broken a number of complete unknowns such as British trip-pop singer Jem. Now even established artists such as U2, Beck and Coldplay are debuting new songs on the show.
The all-Canadian Whistler soundtrack, which will be released later this summer by Universal Music Canada, features an eclectic roster of Canadian artists such as Pilate, Hawksley Workman, the Organ and the Waking Eyes. Most of the music, says Senecal, is catchy alternative rock in the "shoe-gazer-pop vein, à la Radiohead, Spiritualized, Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev."
If Whistler's musical backdrop proves to be a hit with viewers, Vancouver singer-songwriter Natasha Thirsk is one of the artists with the most to gain. The series uses six tracks from Kiss the World, the debut album for Catlow, her new solo project. It also features almost every song from the two albums she produced with bassist Jennifer Deon when they formed the Dirtmitts.
"I can't wait until it airs in the U.S.," says Thirsk, who has had her music licensed for other television shows such as 24 and The L Word. "That's when the real royalties start coming in." (Whistler is also being broadcast on the N, the U.S. nighttime cable network for teens.) Ordinary Day, Whistler's recurring theme song, is from the Dirtmitts' 2002 album Get On. "I wanted a song that felt happy, but had a creepy undertone," Senecal says of the dreamy pop tune with a catchy melody, twinkly guitar and faint discordant screeches.
The show -- a mystery set in the British Columbia mountain-resort town that revolves around the murder of a gold-medal-winning snowboarder soon after he returns home from the 2006 Olympic Winter Games -- does not have any name-dropping music nerds similar to The O.C.'s Seth in the cast. The music was all pre-recorded (unlike The O.C., which also commissions original songs). And there will not be any live performances in the show, at least in the first season (it has already been green-lit for a second).
But Senecal, who created the show for Toronto's Blueprint Entertainment and Vancouver's Boardwatch Productions (affiliated with SL Feldman and Associates, Canada's largest talent agency), says the music is still a main character.
The final episode, for instance, uses the title track from Pila - Globe and Mail

"powerful ... hopelessly catchy, angular, guitar-driven girl pop" - EXCLAIM! MAGAZINE

"Dirtmitts singer Natasha Thirsk flexes electric muscles on this solo debut, dabbling in cool ballads and chilly neo-disco and falling back on hot indie rocks." - Montreal Mirror

"Ex-Dirtmitt Natasha Thirsk's coy vocals float over dense, atmospheric guitar rock with blippy synthesizer textures and a power-pop heart. Catlow could be a Siouxie and the Banshees for the 21st century, albeit with similar pawprints to Luscious Jackson or Throwing Muses. (Rating: 4 out of 5)" - TV Week Magazine

"Showing her prowess on some fevered, angular synth-adorned pop-rock, Thirsk posseses a voice that's as girlish and coy as Metric's Emily Haines ... the bass-heavy grooves, sing-song melodies and even the detour into boombox electro-house on the title track that makes Thirsk's boasts ("I am the one to show you!") she coolly struts on "Number One") so killer." - Chart Magazine

"Showing her prowess on some fevered, angular synth-adorned pop-rock, Thirsk posseses a voice that's as girlish and coy as Metric's Emily Haines ... the bass-heavy grooves, sing-song melodies and even the detour into boombox electro-house on the title track that makes Thirsk's boasts ("I am the one to show you!") she coolly struts on "Number One") so killer." - Chart Magazine