THE MARQUEE

Indie Rockers The Margquee – White Room is an album filled with catchy Pop/Rock influenced guitar hooks matched with positive Beats and Vibes produced by the Synth.

White Room starts off with a song called “First Time”. The song has about a 50/50 mix of pop and rock sound, with the Bass guitar giving the song an extra kick throughout the song. Surprisingly the Bass guitar to me plays a major role in the overall texture and defiance of the song. The Bass guitar at times throughout the song provides a slick and smooth sound but also slaps in with a few rougher/tougher sounding riffs. I’m usually not one for drastic tempo changes in a song but in this case I rather enjoyed the break up between the two, the change up seemed to flow with the song instead of destroying and putting a damper on the song as a whole. I also have to take a line of the lyrics out and share them here because I know I have used this line a time or two before, but in a past tense phrase “My body is achin' the devil's got me drinkin'.”

“Each and Every Week” really gets the album pumping with a fast pace pop intro. The fast pace however does dissipate rather sooner than I would have liked but The Marquee still powers right through the song. For a leadoff single from White Room I would put my weight towards this song for sure, especially if they were choosing a song to push onto the University and College radio charts. Throughout the song there are quite a few catchy guitar leads and hooks that seem to drive the song along. The power of the keys cannot be ignored either, the presence of the added backing sounds of the synth do not go unnoticed yet they add an indescribable taste to the song. Now for some reason whenever I listen to Nicole singing at the two minute mark I always seem to think of the B 52’s.

“Can’t Take Mine”, would be the one of the songs that should a sure fire dance number during a live show. If they were to play at a venue just as the Grad Club here In Kingston I could easily see the place come alive from this song. The synth really gives the song its strength throughout, with the backing beat provided by the drums. The soft yet rigid vocal adds quite a bit of strength to the song. The vocals do not overpower any of the instruments or yet get hidden from the beat of the song either, there seems to be a fine balance between all aspects of the song which all come together to form my second favourite song off White Room.

You can listen and download the entire White Room album by visiting TheMarquee.ca - Kingston Music Review

From north of the border comes The Marquee with their full-length debut album “White Room.” This four-piece band throws together a modern pop sound with an underground alternative feel to give their music a very upbeat, playful sound.

The album opens with “First Time” as the song’s bass groove keeps the guitar and drums in-line. You begin to get a feel for the modern, alternative pop-rock sound with the song “Each and Every Week.” The band adds a bit of funk to “Beating Drums” and visits their alternative rock side on “Fall Back” as the band gives a bit of edginess to their music. The album finishes up with some their strongest written songs; the up-tempo, alternative “Melodies & Memories” and the fell-good acoustics of “One Last Time,” which really showcases the bands harmonies.

For more information on this new band from Canada, please visit themarquee.ca. - JP's Music Blog

Recorded outside of L.A, The Marquee are pleased to release their full length album “White Room” which you can download free of charge here. ‘White Room’ brings the listener a series of catchy pop riddled tunes. Indie rockers from coast to coast will absolutely love The Marquee. Anyways check it out. - The Daily Consciousness

Edmonton quartet The Marquee spent two months in Los Angeles writing and recording their debut album White Room. In that time, their experiences in a different environment, far from home, must have been incredibly positive, because that’s exactly what shines through on this collection of catchy, easy and fully danceable indie-flavoured pop record.

Featuring up-tempo beats, jangly, understated guitar and a generous helping of synths and keys, The Marquee crafts accessible, dance-friendly songs along the lines of bands like The Killers, The Sounds or Metric. The album’s opener, “First Time”, with its mid-tempo groove, rolling bass line and enveloped synth melodies, would definitely strike a chord with any fans of The Killers’s Hot Fuss. Upbeat tracks like “Can’t Take Mine” and “Each And Every Week” offer plenty of bounce and happy riffs while cuts like “Melodies & Memories”, “Fall Back In” and “Save You” also promise to get your feet moving. Though vocalist Jordan Jones often sings about many of the frustrations in life like feeling restless, unsettled or at a loss of control, or the ups and downs of relationships, he usually shines a positive and hopeful light on such issues. Adding even more to the overall positive vibe of Jones’s lyrics are the sweeter-than-icing-sugar harmonies of keyboardist Nicole Riley, which really put the finishing touches on The Marquee’s whole sound. Jones and Riley’s harmonic chemistry really shines through on the touching “Beating Drums” and the soaring “Horizon”.

With White Room, The Marquee aren’t looking to push the envelope or take you into uncharted musical waters. What they’ve done is create an album of straight-ahead, highly accessible and definitely danceable pop songs that get your feet moving and put a smile on your face. The Marquee also want to make sure you have their record, making it available for download on their official website. You can also check them out on their Facebook page. - Indie 403

Edmonton based band The Marquee is likely running on the high of releasing their first full length album “White Room”. There’s little room for negativity on this album as it is mainly packed with good, old fashioned optimism. It helps the band was able to focus solely on writing and recording the album in a two-month span in the outskirts of L.A. The Marquee’s sheer happiness of experiencing a new city and completing their first album are hard to miss.
The melodies are bouncy and poppy, definitely appealing to the dancers out there or anyone who needs a bit of a pick-me-up. Though they bounce between genres, they’re leaning slightly more to the pop side with hints of indie rock in the melodies. If this style doesn’t appeal to you, then “White Room” likely isn’t for you.
But, the album is an effortless listen, overall holding a feel-good theme, minus a couple love-sick, slower songs. The light and airiness qualities make it a great option before an indie show or a hangout on a warm summer night with friends.
Alternating vocals with a female singer was a bit of a surprise, but she compliments the lead singer’s vocals well. However, either one could easily carry on by themselves and don’t necessarily need the additional vocal support. Overall, there’s no doubt they immediately meshed well to produce a smooth, polished product. - Beyond The Watch

Native to Edmonton, The Marquee is a very new entity in the Indie Rock community, having released their first full length album ‘White Room’ earlier this year, to my understanding just after forming together as a band. Vocalist Jordan Jones, keyboardist and vocalist Nicole Riley, guitarist Mike Lay, bassist Dwayne Ulliac, and drummer Blair Brown actually locked themselves away in a garage/recording studio in Los Angeles, CA for two weeks to record ‘White Room’, which is one of the most well known facts about the band to date.

Their influences include a wonderful mix of old and new Indie Rock, Pop, and Rock; spanning from The Beatles to Tegan and Sara adding depth and variation to their music. ‘White Room’ opens with the very catchy “First Time”. The song is just plain fun to listen to; backed up by the quality musicianship given by all. The way the music is structured and layered around Jones’ and Riley’s voices is wonderful, especially at the Rock-laden breakdown of “First Time”. “Beating Drums” incorporates more Funk and Pop vibes than the songs before them, especially during its bass driven verses. There is also a really nice instrumental break in the song, giving it staying power in the listeners mind, or so I would imagine. Slightly more than halfway into ‘White Room’ is one of what I thought to be stand out songs included in the release, “Medication”. The song is very frank in delivery- the impactful lyrics are no-nonsense in nature and the music follows suit. “Medication” has edge and is another very Rock influenced song from The Marquee, containing some of the best instrumental work out of all the songs, especially in the guitar department. The album ends with “One Last Time”, a very relaxing song, despite its undertones of heartache. Again it shows how well Jones and Riley work together on vocals, the melodies in this song really make it what it is.

Great song writing, solid and strategic use of each instrument, and beautiful cascading vocals are constant themes in ‘White Room’. It also has a very polished and refined sound, touches upon many different themes, and mixes each genre in seamlessly, giving The Marquee a sound all their own. I would definitely recommend this album to fans of Indie Rock who want a little more to their tunes. - Rock Over America

For the Indie rock fan The Marquee, an up and coming garage band from Edmonton should easily prove their worth to the Indie scene. With their creativity in their guitar riffs to the energy behind the drums The Marquee is a commanding innovative sound that needs to be experienced firsthand.

Songs like "Can't Take Mine" will light a fire on the dance floor along with "Beating Drums", as a diehard music fan I am reminded of Maroon 5 with the vocals and the creativity in their sound, Though I am not a big Indie rock fan, I could see myself enjoying a live show, their music inspires fun and is easily head nod “able”.

Song writing and good old fashioned sound make songs like "Each and Every Week" and "Melodies and Memories" an incredible listen. Jordan Jones has an explosive way of delivering vocals that want to grab you and shake you around a little. If you’re a fan of The Killers this is a must for your collection, it's easy to get in an upbeat mood while enjoying their CD.

The White Room by The Marquee is an all around great album with a collective mix of genres that reaches all aspects of good rock, continuing a long line of great Canadian talent The Marquee will definitely follow suit as an amazing Canadian band and will absolutely capture the intrigue of their fans. - Portal Magazine

If you’re looking for something that is different than most mainstream pop/rock then The Marquee is a band worth checking out. Featured on their debut album are catchy tunes, awesome harmonies and meaningful lyrics. There are songs to get your day going, and songs to mellow you out at the end of the day.

Their name may imply glittering lights and big names, but The Marquee show they know how to stay humble. Songs like Medication, and Melodies and Memories are worth listening to over and over again, to catch all the lyrics. And guess what? Beating Drums does sound like Beating Drums.

The album ends with the lyrics “Bring me back to earth”. With The Marquee you will float in the clouds, and you may not want to come back to earth, but rather turn up the volume and play the cd again. Good news: you can hear all the tracks on their site. - Monkey Biz

Imagine if Feist and Micheal Buble’s music got married and had a baby; Introducing The Marquee .They’re a band from Edmonton that has a sound best described as indie rock with a splash of pop.

Picture a band meeting for the first time, traveling to a studio in L.A and recording their first album after knowing each other for only 8 hours. Yeah, that’s exactly what The Marquee did and it resulted in their first full length album “White Room”.

The album contains a load of catchy-ass songs like “Save You” and “First Time” that’ll get you head bopping in a matter of seconds. It’s not just those tracks though; every song on the album has the same fun vibe whether it’s about love or heartbreak.

Aside from the music “White Room” also includes a lot of talented musicians. Both Blair Kerr Brown (Drums) and Dwayne Villac (Bass) were previously in a band together but decided to move on to something else. Nicole Riley was already a skilled keyboardist when she moved from Vancouver to Edmonton she later agreed to play with the guys when they discovered her off Kijiji. Jordan Jones (Vocals) already has both a solo career and played lead guitar in a blues band. When the band later on decided they needed a guitar player they scouted around and found the fifth and final member Mike Lay.

As of now The Marquee is planning on touring both the East and West coast of Canada in the near future. So if they happen to stop by, have some good dancing shoes on. - 27nicethings.ca

Canada seems to be an constant outpour of talent don’t they? Giving the world gems like Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds and the ever wonderful, always clad in purple space gear, Justin Bieber. The first track off of Edmonton’s own indie rock band, The Marquee, shows that they belong on this list of Canadian talent as well. “First Time” with its thumping bass intermixing with smooth vocals leads in to a progressively louder chorus. Tension builds as the chorus approaches and once it kicks in, the fast, high impact energy of the song continues to grow. “First Time” is a heart racer in the best ways. Nicole Riley’s backing vocals adding even more depth to the song.

“Know that I’m not broken”“Each and Every Week” follows with the same high energy vibe as its predecessor. This time however, it opens with both Jordan Jones and Nicole Riley singing together. The combination was surprising but worked well as their voices complimented each other. The song has a more pop feel to it with the band’s self described indie rock sound still lingering throughout. Riley takes on her own verse, another welcomed surprise, adding to the band’s ever changing vocal line up. After hearing the second track, it’s evident that memorable hooks are the Marquee’s strong point.


“I got a feeling that I’ve been here before, but I don’t know” is sung throughout third track, “Beating Drums,” with an almost haunting beat behind. As the vocals begin to fade, the instrumentation and musical skills of the band really shine. The track ends with an interlude kind of feeling but it’s a completely welcomed type of feeling. Throughout the rest of the album, Jordan Jones and Nicole Riley’s vocals balance out each other so well. What the Marquee do just as well, as I’ve already mentioned, is their impeccable playing ability. It can be heard throughout the entire album but it really shines on “Medication.”

Throughout White Room, the songs vary in pace with the slower ballad-esque songs nearing the end of the album. “Horizon” takes on a dreamy feel, a nice change after a number of fast paced tracks. The final two songs take on the slower approach as well. Ending the album “One Last Time” is absolutely perfect. It’s as powerful as album opener “First Time” but not so much in its energy, but in it’s vivid lyrics and vocal performance. Jones’ vocals are so soft and low with Riley to compliment so well. “One Last Time” was the first time a change in The Marquee’s musical style could be heard, adding to why it was a killer ending. Oftentimes, some songs seemed to flow right into each other without a distinct end. The change up in “One Last Time” ends White Room off on a great note.

Overall, the album is polished and laden with memorable hooks, stunning instrumentation, and beautiful harmonies. White Room will certainly be one the albums that I actually keep in my iTunes after its review has been published.

White Room can be downloaded for FREE on the band’s website: http://themarquee.ca/

The Marquee is Jordan Jones (vocals), Nicole Riley (keys & vocals), Blair Brown (drums), Dwayne Ulliac (bass), Mike Lay (guitar). - Hopeless Thunder

Just landed in our inbox is a Canadian band called The Marquee. They have just released their first full length album ‘White Room’ which is influenced heavily by the joys of escape and new experiences in a world famous city. Written and recorded over a two month span as they isolated themselves in a small garage-turned-studio on the outskirts of L.A. the vibe is fun, the tones are authentic and the lyrics catchy. As soon as you press play, the word fun becomes fundamentally obvious, however their music does not sound like the conventional LA Rock, it sounds like Swedish Pop mixed with elegance.



Full of melodies, uptempo numbers show you how to have a good time. We have never seen these live, only pictures of the band, yet whilst listening to White Room, your brain is trying to visually imagine them on stage right in front of your eyes. First Time is full of melodies but changes pace and the rawness is increased when lead singer sings “And if you’re down / I’ll be there / Don’t count me out / And if you’re down / I’ll be there / Don’t count me out” at the end, before finishing off with further verses of harmonies. One thing that changes throughout the first few tracks is the guitars, there is so much difference bewteen the riffs on “First Time” and “Every and Every Week”. We’ve only listened to about 10 minutes so far and we’re really enjoying it. One suggestion we have is we prefer it when the vocalists Jordan Jones & Nicole Riley sing on their own. Melodies are great but these guys have great tones in their voices, the melodies hinder the tones coming through. “Every and Every Week” is one of favourites on the album, mainly because of the guitar riffs.

The songwriting is also very clever we love the line in “Beating Drums”: “And if you take my breaking heart / Then I’ll find love in the beating drums / And I’ll let their sound hold me / Until the daylight / And if you tear my world apart / I’ll jump this train and find love again / And I’ll let the sound hold me”. The bounciness flows throughout the album and you never get bored of it. This style of music appeals to all, depends how you look at it, whether to listen for some good pop or looking furthe rinto depth and listening to the instrument sophistication. Alternating vocals with a female singer was a bit of a surprise, but she compliments the lead singer’s vocals well and in the end we find it a very refreshing strategy. Fall Back In slows up the tempo, it is like a 90's american punk ballad, drawing you in like a nostalgic, lovesick teenager. It even includes a very bluesy Eric Clapton style tear jerking slow riff, which shows the band have an awful lot up their sleeve.

The album reaches half way with “Save You” and you are imediatetly invigurated. Lead singer Jordan Jones sings on his own without a harmony in sight and is one of our favourite tracks. It is about one person thinking they can save someone by being in a relationship with them. “I can never break your heart like they have / I’ll dry your eyes / I need something more to keep me going / To save your life / Thinkin’ that you’re right but you don’t know what you do to me / Seems like you gotta lock the door and throw away the key / So why do I try”

Overall this is an album of very good promise with very little flaws. Crack this on if you need to have a good time for 40 minutes or so, this album has it all, good vocals & good guitars. Nicole Riley is a real star on the album vocally. We fully recommend it! - Blushing Panda

This indie rock quartet from Edmonton is comprised of four accomplished musicians who are endeavouring to create good old fashioned rock music for this generation. This debut album was written over during two months that they spent in a garage studio just outside of L.A. With a fun vibe and catchy melodies, this is a great record to keep on hand this summer.

The opening song, “First Time” is an energetic, kick-drum heavy track with a great guitar riff and string lyrics that talks about running away from the way you’re feeling and throwing away everything you believe in. It also has a nice slower tempo mid section that adds a nice contrast to the song. “Each and Ever Week” sounds a bit more pop influenced, with nice female vocals and a catchy melody and chorus.

“Beating Drums” is one of my favourite tracks as they sing “Got a feelin’ that I’ve been here before / But I don’t know if you know / Need a reason not to think anymore / Cause I don’t know if you know.” A nice slower track is “Fall Back In” with beautiful vocal harmonies, and “Medication” is a very fast paced track with a frantic tone as they sing “You can’t help me out even if you want / Cause you know I’m lost I’ve done this a lot / So don’t wait for me I’m not coming home / Baby let me be so leave me alone.”

I love the intro on “Horizon” with a slow build of drums, guitar, and piano until the vocals join in beautiful harmony. The concept of the thoughtful “Melodies and Memories” is something I think most people can relate to as many of us have memories that are called to mind when we hear a specific melody. This is a really fun song that pays tribute to nights out with friends where lifelong memories are made and all cares are thrown to the wayside.

This album is full of great head nodding drum beats, creative guitar riffs, and fun, upbeat lyrics that you can tap your toes and sing along to. These tracks are all enjoyable to listen to, and I really like The Marquee’s style as they seem to effortlessly craft these classic sounding indie rock songs that draw your ear and hold it until the final note. - Press Plus 1