The Rest is Yet to Come

Jocelyn Peirce

The phenomenon of the local band is not a new or strange occurrence. Everywhere, it seems, there are groups of people endeavoring to make music —– and perhaps fame and fortune. There is no entrance test for forming a band, no locked set of levels for energy, creativity, passion, or talent that a band must reach before they can begin to make music. As a result, the bulk of the music-listening public generally prefers to have what they listen to filtered by the media, whether it be MTV, or Pitchfork, or one of the countless other music media venues on television and the Internet. It can therefore be exceptionally difficult for an unsigned band to gain attention from their own city, let alone the world at large; and in Canada there are hundreds, if not thousands of great, undiscovered talents creating music that is largely unheard.

For those of us who make it our business to find and promote these musical secrets, the process of filtering out the garbage can be daunting and downright exhausting. One can easily lose interest in music after spending days upon weeks listening to nothing special. Which is why the discovery of a great new band is no less exciting than the discovery of a new continent.

One such band is The Rest, from the sleepy city of Hamilton, Ontario. Their 2007 release, Atlantis, Oh Our Saviour, may not have been a commercial success by any stretch of reality. It was, however, nothing less than delightful. With seven talented members (Adam Bentley, Blake Bowman, Dwayne Brydon, Matty Buzanko, Anna Jarvis, Steve Jones, and Jordan Mitchell), The Rest have taken the idea of modern orchestral rock to a new level of quality, entirely without pretense. They take the idea of an album very seriously, rejecting the ever-popular idea of filler, and create a work of art that flows seamlessly from start to finish. Atlantis has a feeling of completion that many albums lack. The Rest don’t write songs so much as compositions. All the pieces just fit as though they were born to do this together.

If their new single, Apples & Allergies, is any indication, The Rest's next release promises to be even more exceptional. Their sound has matured with an energy that is rare for a sophomore release and makes their years together apparent. The Rest are set to explode at any minute and are certainly a band to watch.

These albums are available on The Rest's website at www.therestmusic.com.