The Cautioneers

Call To Arms (live off the floor) - Chris W

As more and more bands seem to be filing under the “indie-rock” category, new independent bands need to be able to stand out from the crowd. In their debut release Where We Are, Toronto six-piece band, The Cautioneers, prove that they have an intriguing element and are not just another indie band. - Gray Owl Point

When they hit the stage, they’re tight – and they’re constantly exchanging glances and gestures to sync up their physical movements to the rhythms of each song, so it ends up looking that much more put-together.

Newly-joined synth player Eytan Tobin (of recent iM premiere/live showcase act ELEKTRO TANK) brings plenty of energy to the live performance – even jumping out into the crowd mid-song with a tambourine when his synth isn’t included in the current musical breakdown.

This pairs extremely well with Cooper, bassist Brandon Johns, and guitarist Greg O’Toole who also tend to drift around the stage area with a certain swagger – we’re sure keyboardist Amanda Barroso and drummer Adam Silva would get this involved too if their instruments were slightly more portable, but they still do their own fair share of rocking on the spot.

Ultimately, the band is really just a hell of a lot of fun to watch: everyone sings, dances and yells – they’re clearly all having a blast, and they want very much so for you to join in on the action. - The Indie Machine

Toronto-based indie rock band, The Cautioneers are preparing to release their debut CD, Where We Are, on November 18th. What one will find is a heavy dose of melodic vocals, horns and delicately undulating guitars that invite the listener to sit back, relax and enjoy the calm, tranquil musical landscape. What I wasn’t expecting from The Cautioneers though was a heavy dose of jamming as well.

Most of the songs include extended plays where the band tastefully jams without being overly flashy or pretentious, they seem to do more with less; a good example of this can be found in the song "Heaven Help Us." While I'm totally a fan of the jam thing, I found the repetitive nature of some of the extended jams to be a bit too much and I think in the end this might work against them, albeit a little.

Bottom line, I think The Cautioneers have created a lush musical tapestry that is the perfect soundtrack for maxing and relaxing, accompanied by your favorite beverage.

Track Listing:

01. Where We Are
02. If Only
03. Stand Back And Watch The Collapse
04. A Feeling Of Love And Meaning
05. The Art Of Cartography
06. Heaven Help Us

Run Time: 28:30
Release Date: November 18, 2011

Check out the song: "Heaven Help Us" - PureGrainAudio

Successfully pulling off an all-encompassing track-blurring production, Toronto six-piece The Cautioneers have crafted an “eerie pop song” -filled debut effort that manages to sound like everything from straight-up indie rock staples Superchunk, boy/girl-fronted rock acts Mother Mother and Alcoholic Faith Mission, to Danish neo-prog rockers Mew and everything in between all at the same time… and amazingly, it works without losing the listener along the way.

The gradual crescendo throughout the course of the titular minute-long instrumental intro – Where We Are – builds to the opening of If Only, and it’s from there that the keys, synth and guitars drop in tandem and begin the 4/4 onslaught of your ears.

Quickly, you’ll notice that the vocals throughout the album are rich and layered and the lead guitar cuts through the layers like a giant cleaver through a cake – the synths quickly get in on the fun echoing familiar leads in slightly different musical variations that help to tie all these disparate thoughts together into a cohesive musical idea – so like prog rock… but not.

What follows in Stand Back And Watch The Collapse is a more directed songwriting approach, though there are more liberal piano lead tangents that incite a greater feeling of whimsy than in the dance-inducing opening that precedes it.

In conjunction with the prominent horns that pop up sporadically throughout the course of the release, the strings on A Feeling Of Love And Meaning lend a soothing orchestral feel to the track that one could liken to Arcade Fire’s recent work, though this is much more easily accessible, and not as deliberately eclectic.

The thing that jumps out the most about this record – and the thing that tends to draw upon the Mew comparison – is the ethereal quality to the harmonized vocals; though the prominent synth-keys melodic harmony lines that punch through the bridge in The Art Of Cartography don’t hurt this comparison either.

Opening with the sombre imagery “the faithful come and go along the lifeless roads”, the final track on the EP Heaven Help Us is a solid finish. The song immediately dials it to 11 off the cusp of Art Of Cartography – again maintaining this all-encompassing song-to-song flowing production – and smoothens out for a softer bridge before allowing the back two minutes to slowly increase in speed and intensity to the track’s powerful conclusion.

The ultimate drawback to this production approach on Where We Are is probably with the separation of the songs when they inevitably end up in a ‘track shuffle’ setting, where the kicker off one song opens the next – if the endings had been extended a little longer, and the intros cut a little shorter, this might’ve been avoided – so if the release has a notable downfall, that’s the one to note; though it doesn’t really have any bearing on the band’s ability to craft a hook-filled song – which they do here in spades.

All-in-all, Where We Are is a damn fine debut from a promising young band; leaving the listener not with the lingering question of “where ARE they?”, but “where will they be a year from now once everyone has a copy of this piece of work?” – and with a solid live show to boot it’s probably without saying that if you haven’t heard of The Cautioneers yet, you will be hearing their name a lot more frequently very soon.

SIDE NOTE: keep an ear open for the “Buddy Holly” solo homage from the piano in the bridge of Heaven Help Us – once you hear it, you’ll never be able to un-hear it.

You’re welcome. - The iNDiE MACHiNE

Falling somewhere in between pop charm and country-tinged jaunts, The Cautioneers shimmer with finely crafted songs that combine elements of indie, rock, and country. Infectious melodies, upbeat energy, and a rhythmic stomp wrapped around a horn section, guitar flourishes, and keyboards, resulting in a super-enthusiastic band that promises bigger things to come. - Lonely Vagabond

Falling somewhere in between pop charm and country-tinged jaunts, The Cautioneers shimmer with finely crafted songs that combine elements of indie, rock, and country. Infectious melodies, upbeat energy, and a rhythmic stomp wrapped around a horn section, guitar flourishes, and keyboards, resulting in a super-enthusiastic band that promises bigger things to come. - Lonely Vagabond

THURSDAY APRIL 29 / THE WILDERNESS & THE CAUTIONEERS / THE BOAT / 158 AUGUSTA AVE / $5 / 19+
Celebrate International Dance Day with an all-local party at The Boat featuring live performances from The Wilderness, The Cautioneers, oHNo and Human Bodies, with The Benefit of the Free Man playing at the small stage in between each act. Cover will only set you back five bucks, and according to the Facebook event page, an epic finale is in store for those who attend. - BlogTO

(video featured on daily BlogTO news) - BlogTO

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17 / PWYC WEDS: THE CAUTIONEERS / RANCHO RELAXO / 300 COLLEGE ST / PWYC / 19+
Wednesday night's weekly PWYC show at Rancho features "experimental spastic electro hip-hop duo" Croctupus, newcomers The Bensons (featuring Eric Easson Hummel of Parks & Rec) and indie pop/rock quintet The Cautioneers (video below). - BlogTO

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17 / PWYC WEDS: THE CAUTIONEERS / RANCHO RELAXO / 300 COLLEGE ST / PWYC / 19+
Wednesday night's weekly PWYC show at Rancho features "experimental spastic electro hip-hop duo" Croctupus, newcomers The Bensons (featuring Eric Easson Hummel of Parks & Rec) and indie pop/rock quintet The Cautioneers (video below). - BlogTO