Boats

Despite the scattered press in attendance, Boats’ acoustic Trinity Bellwoods set had an impromptu vibe to it. Setting up shop under a tree on a breezy afternoon, the stripped-down Winnipeg outfit played utterly charming, minimalist arrangements of their whimsical pop; punters on blankets applauded politely. Armed with an acoustic guitar and John Darnielle-ish vocals, singer Mat Klachefsky held the audience rapt regardless of the passing cars and children. While the park is always filled with strumming troubadours, Ashley Roch’s playful glockenspiel and handheld keyboard legitimized the ad hoc show. Benefiting from brevity, it was a short and entirely enchanting gig.
- Exclaim!

1. Boats - Intercontinental Champion (self-released)

The Arcade Fire minus the drama. An album that sparkles and shines with every single song, and it is all fun without corny and majestic without being melodramatic. My favourite unsung record this past year.

--Dave Ullrich (Zunior.com) - Thick Specs.com

It's been a while since we checked in on the quirky synth poppers from Winnipeg. Boats! made an appearance on our Manitoba Mixtape and Mat's awesomely named debut (Intercontinental Champ - of which Ricky Steamboat was the all-time great) was a pleasant discovery to say the least. Well, since that time it seems they've dropped the ! and that decision corresponds with a more mature outlook and sound.

The band still displays some Unicorns-ish whimsy, kinetic energy and quirky, discount bin synth sounds - Drinking The Lake and Movie Scores; We Hummed for example - but Cannonballs, Cannonballs! finds Mat exploring more complex narratives and the band using bigger textures and taking some risks. I'm not sure if I could have predicted Mat and his rotating cast of characters crafting a beautiful electro pop gem like Smokestack & Lucy's Magnificent Cabaret last time out, but it's one of many highlights on the new record.

Interestingly enough, when their last record came out I remember Dave Ullrich saying that Boats was like Arcade Fire without the drama. At the time I thought he was off his rocker, but now the comparison seems very fitting. As I let TV Scientist fade into the heavier drums of Summercamp vs. The Fake Moustache Tree, feel the thump of Chrome Eyelids or settle into the catchy Our Athletic Friends I get swept up in the potential of this young Winnipeg outfit. CBCB! is only their second album, but they put together twelve songs that are powerful, but never attempt to be bigger than the instruments they use or the sounds they prefer. They don't throw on layer after layer hoping to impress you; Boats lets you feel like you are a part of the song, and slowly builds to a climax after hooking you in early. Plus, at the end of the day I don't think they'd ever steal my basketball. - Herohill.com

Boats!
Intercontinental Champion
An idea-stuffed piñata of an album that sounds like Modest Mouse after a heavy intake of laughing gas, International Champion mixes melody, humour, thrift-store synths, and Mat Klachefsky's impossible-to-take-seriously vocals. "You Have Nothing to Lose Except Your Arms and Perhaps Your Legs" features what may be the year's best opening line in a song: "Your clothes will someday be a Halloween costume." - The Straight

On their MySpace page, this Manitoban five-piece suggest they sound like "crumpled up wax paper." They're really more like biting on tin foil.

Boats! recently dropped an exclamation mark from the end of their name, but the music on this second full-length seems to demand its return. Their closest kin would be The Bicycles. They're also a synth and sample-heavy cousin to the Blue Sky Addicts and Los Campesinos!.

When things slow down mid-album for "Smokestack & Lucy's Magnificent Cabaret" they border on Tilly & The Wall territory. It's difficult to notice until a few tracks in — when the fuzz subsides and some space finally emerges between notes — but electro-pop is often the basis for this cacophony.

There's a lot to absorb here, including a backup choir with close to 20 members. It'll take a few spins before you'll be able to pick specific parts out of the wash of glittering pop, but Cannonballs, Cannonballs is worth some investment. - Chart Attack

Winnipeg's Boats! sound as if the disc on which their music was recorded can hardly contains their kinetically creative firestorm. Bursting with influences too obscure to mention, this band careens around these 14 tracks, leaving no musical stone unturned or quirky passage unattended to. It's pure new-era pop and it works even after you get used to leader Mat Klachefsky's eccentric adenoidal articulations. Intercontinental Champion hits like that morning caffeine rush and pummels you into submission with its kooky, over-the-top hooks. Absolute proof that there can be more talent in one local record store than in some entire Canadian cities. - Winnipeg Free Press

If there were an actual "Sugar Mountain" in Winnipeg, MB, you'd surely find Boats docked at its foot. Singer Mat Klachefsky is blessed with a vocal delivery that out-adenoids both Daniel Smith (Danielson Famile) and Mac McCaughan (Superchunk) at their rheumiest. Fronting the junk shop orchestra of cheap-ass keyboards, glockenspiel, martial drums, drunk horns and gang vocals any kindergartener would go mental for makes for a piñata busting good time. Junior polka party anthems like "Haircuts For Everybody!!" and fantastic new wave epics like "Summercamp vs. The Fake Moustache Tree" deliver the kind of power pop overflow some cartoon band could build their career around. What keeps it from suffering from an overdose of kitsch are the chops Klachefsky's cohorts use to deliver their ecstasy. Drawing friends in bands like the Paperbacks and the Western States to the party, Boats are a super-group that might solve crimes in the off hours between gigging and nap/snack time. (Majestic Triumph) - Exclaim!

(4 out of 5 stars) The debut of Winnipeg-based Boats! is as animated as its linear notes. The notes feature images of cock-eyed marching bands, court jesters, and flying sharks, all of which mirror this wildly imaginative indie dream-pop record. Lead singer Matt Klachefsky's helium-induced vocals will immediately turn off some listeners, but if this quirk bothers them it's really their loss, as a host of talented Winnipeg musicians join in on the project — including Jay Churko (Chords of Canada), Ashley Roch (The Western States), Shaun Gibsom (The Details) and Britt Hainstock (Half Court Prayer). A collective spirit is found all over Intercontinental Champion and you can feel their energy and love for the music. Lead off track "500%" defines the album's mood as it includes an enthusiastic choir, a host of hand claps, peculiar kid toy keyboards, and a string of shakers and dancing xylophones. The rest of the record incorporates these same elements but is not repetitive in the least as Boats! keeps you on your toes by throwing in manic rockers "You Have Nothing to Lose…" and "Scenic Gorges." Other standouts include "Breakfast Combo" with its side order of shout-out-loud harmonies and trumpets. "Combo" is perfectly complemented by an endearing acoustic/drum machine duet "Classic Rock Weekend" and the heartbreaking closer "River Creek Lake." Boats! Intercontinental Champion gives an atomic leg drop to Canada's indie scene and is bound to be hailed as one of this year's best. - Pop Journalism

It's been years since Transistor Sound & Lighting Co. - arguably Winnipeg's most innovative pop band ever - played a gig or even entered the thoughts of most Canadians.

Luckily, one band is here to keep their legacy alive. Boats, led by Mat Klachefsky, sounds a lot a like Transistor: they've got the same quirky song arrangements, the same love of the drum machine and similar high-pitched vocals.

Oh, and they also share a band member.

"When Isaac Brock was looking for a new guitarist," says Klachefsky, explaining how Jason Churko, Transistor's frontman, joined Boats, "he just asked himself, 'Well, who am I ripping off the most?' That's how Johnny Marr joined up. It's basically the same story with Jay and I."

While the band does sound a lot like Transistor, even with Churko in the band they're not complete copycats. Boats is poppier, with bouncier, more conventional songs, plus they have five guys instead of two.

But really, it doesn't matter whether they sound like Transistor or not, since no one outside the 'Peg likely remembers the late-90s duo.

"And that's criminal," says Klachefsky. "It's criminal that their album isn't recognized as one of those top-whatever albums of all time."

But Boats' debut disc, Intercontinental Champion, might one day win that distinction. Every track is solid and, most importantly, memorable, which has as much to do with Klachefsky's songwriting as it does with his surprisingly high vocals. Let's just hope the guitarist can keep it together longer than his idol.

"Singing high is fun, but I'm constantly going full tilt. I'll probably be talking with one of those electronic voice boxes by the time I'm 35." - Now Magazine

(4 out of 5 stars) The debut of Winnipeg-based Boats! is as animated as its linear notes. The notes feature images of cock-eyed marching bands, court jesters, and flying sharks, all of which mirror this wildly imaginative indie dream-pop record. Lead singer Matt Klachefsky's helium-induced vocals will immediately turn off some listeners, but if this quirk bothers them it's really their loss, as a host of talented Winnipeg musicians join in on the project — including Jay Churko (Chords of Canada), Ashley Roch (The Western States), Shaun Gibsom (The Details) and Britt Hainstock (Half Court Prayer). A collective spirit is found all over Intercontinental Champion and you can feel their energy and love for the music. Lead off track "500%" defines the album's mood as it includes an enthusiastic choir, a host of hand claps, peculiar kid toy keyboards, and a string of shakers and dancing xylophones. The rest of the record incorporates these same elements but is not repetitive in the least as Boats! keeps you on your toes by throwing in manic rockers "You Have Nothing to Lose…" and "Scenic Gorges." Other standouts include "Breakfast Combo" with its side order of shout-out-loud harmonies and trumpets. "Combo" is perfectly complemented by an endearing acoustic/drum machine duet "Classic Rock Weekend" and the heartbreaking closer "River Creek Lake." Boats! Intercontinental Champion gives an atomic leg drop to Canada's indie scene and is bound to be hailed as one of this year's best. - Pop Journalism

(Rating: A)

This is such a solid indie pop record, it's hard to believe that it's a debut. Then again, frontman Mat Klachefsky has been working on Boats in some form since he was in Grade 8. Though Klachefsky's high-pitched and nasal vocals definitely take some getting used to, this is a sparkling, hook-laden record sprinkled with plenty of handclaps and sing-a-long chorus lines. Though Intercontinental Champion finds an easy home in the experimental section, it recalls the sonic oddities of Modest Mouse and Wolf Parade - bands that know the rules before they bend them. With members from Transistor Sound & Lighting Co., The Details and The Western States lending their talents to the record, this is a wonderfully whimsical testament to the creative talent of the Winnipeg music scene.
— Jen Zoratti - Uptown Magazine

(Rating: A)

This is such a solid indie pop record, it's hard to believe that it's a debut. Then again, frontman Mat Klachefsky has been working on Boats in some form since he was in Grade 8. Though Klachefsky's high-pitched and nasal vocals definitely take some getting used to, this is a sparkling, hook-laden record sprinkled with plenty of handclaps and sing-a-long chorus lines. Though Intercontinental Champion finds an easy home in the experimental section, it recalls the sonic oddities of Modest Mouse and Wolf Parade - bands that know the rules before they bend them. With members from Transistor Sound & Lighting Co., The Details and The Western States lending their talents to the record, this is a wonderfully whimsical testament to the creative talent of the Winnipeg music scene.
— Jen Zoratti - Uptown Magazine

It's Boats! As with animal names, indie bands are using exclamation marks enormously these days. I guess it's a gesture of joyful excitement which fits the description of the local campy ruckus rockers Boats. The band centers around Mat Klachefsky who sings a collection of whimsical songs which are self described as metaphors of regrettable childhood experiences. Intercontinental Champion bursts with warm, infectiously catchy chords and sing-a-long chorus sections. It's almost impossible to not eat it all up and ask for seconds. A great winnipeg pop masterpiece. - Stylus Magazine

It's Boats! As with animal names, indie bands are using exclamation marks enormously these days. I guess it's a gesture of joyful excitement which fits the description of the local campy ruckus rockers Boats. The band centers around Mat Klachefsky who sings a collection of whimsical songs which are self described as metaphors of regrettable childhood experiences. Intercontinental Champion bursts with warm, infectiously catchy chords and sing-a-long chorus sections. It's almost impossible to not eat it all up and ask for seconds. A great winnipeg pop masterpiece. - Stylus Magazine