Search - Dears :: No Cities Left

This is a terrific album!

Aaron | Chicago, Illinois USA | 12/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Montreal's pop group The Dears are endlessly compared to Morrissey and Blur to the point it has become tiresome. Yes, at times, a hint of the Moz comes through lead singer Murray Lightburn's vocals. But that's it. This band sounds nothing like Blur or The Smiths. This is a great album filled with catchy melodies, great hooks, and a shimmering melancholy. It's a great listen from start to finish."

Do you guys really listen to the music....

J. THOMAS | Jax, FL | 12/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"or do you just sit down with a notepad and no. 2 pencil and just look for other artists to compare to every time you get new music? Damn, I think this cd is pretty !@#$'in good to me!

Yes, I grew up listening to the Smiths and Blur and I love alot of Brit-pop. I think you can hear a 'lil bit 'o Morrissey in Murray's voice but I don't hear Damon Albarn. I can definately hear the differences and the music is not like either to me! The music is beautiful! There are all the normal instruments; guitar, bass, & drum as well as strings, synths, and the occasional horn. And there is a female and she spreads the love in her vocals. And I love how they play off each other vocally in a couple songs. As someone else mentioned, it DOES NOT have the wit of Morrissey or Mr. Albarn. But you know what, this is the Dears NOT Morrissey. He has a new album that is great as well, and if I want to listen to him then I'll pop that in. I hope these guys finally get some recognition and stop being compared to everyone else. I think if you are influenced by other great artists it will come through in your work somewhere. And I am SOOOOOOO glad that there is good music coming out of North America right now...Please support good bands like these and pull your heads out yo' *&$es trying to be cool...Beautiful and romantic music."

With The Dears you are in for a very special musical treat

Manny Hernandez | Bay Area, CA | 05/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I remember thinking when I first heard "No Cities Left" by The Dears, how much the singer of the band sounded like Morrissey, why not admit it. But then I found moments in the album that reminded me of a thousand other things: David Bowie, Joy Division and even King Crimson... all of it, wrapped in a mantle that carries an unmistakeable flavor of French cabaret music with a raw feel, in the best style of the late Serge Gainsbourg.



Largely the result of the financial support of the Canada Music Fund, The Dears is the Montreal-based musical brainchild of multi-talented Murray Lightburn. Formed in 1995, "No Cities Left" constituted the band's second full length album. The album has an overall dark feel that carries a certain level of anguish in Lightburn's storytelling, typically aided by atmospheres driven by his guitar, along with changes in tempo in most songs and the overpowering presence of mellotron-like sounding strings that accompany the band's work through most of the album.



The Dears meld in so many influences that you can get almost tired of identifying them... plus it really doesn't do much to do so, since they have already carved their own special niche that will probably serve as a deep influence for generations of musicians to come. For now, enjoy "No Cities Left" and the band's scheduled August 2006 release, a song of which you can enjoy through their MySpace page. It is impossible to argue: with The Dears you are in for a very special musical treat."