Animals & Architects

sir005 | Released: April 2007

Animals & Architects
Buy it from MapleMusic

  1. Open War
  2. Hearts Like Bears
  3. Bloody Nose
  4. I Fight Birds
  5. In The Woods
  6. Paper Bag
  7. Pounds of Sparks
  8. Local Man
  9. Saskatoon
  10. Bad Swimmer

How Maybe Smith would follow his fourth album—the critically acclaimed, podcast favourite Second Best Death (sir004 2006)—was at first a bit of a conundrum. But the answer proved to be surprisingly simple: ditch the acoustic guitar and quit crying. Listening to the song “Wah-Wah” by George Harrison on repeat helped guide the way.

The result is Animals & Architects, Maybe Smith’s fourth full-length effort and fifth release overall since 2002. An album full of rollicking pop songs, Animals & Architects is sparked at every chord change with sing-along vocals, pounding drums and curious electronics. From the opening guitar line and closing la-la’s of lead-off track “Open War”, through to the piano banging and electronic chaos of closer “Bad Swimmer”, this delightful wall-of-sound is like a wonderfully bizarre combination of Phil Spector and Frank Gehry.

Written and produced by Colin Skrapek in Saskatoon, June 2006 – January 2007. Mastered by Joel Grundahl. Illustrations by Todd Gronsdahl. Short story contributed by Sheena B. Miller.

Animals & Architects review from I (heart) Music

Tuesday November 20, 2007

Maybe it’s just me, but I always enjoy albums more when they seem to come out of nowhere and blow me away. Animals & Architects is probably a pretty good example of this…If we really are in a new age of music consumption, however, and people are willing to accept that the year’s best album may just come from the middle of the prairies, then Animals & Architects might just put the Saskatchewan music boom on the map. Read full article »

Animals & Architects review from PopMatters

Friday June 22, 2007

[Animals & Architects] sounds nothing like what you think of when you think of the Canadian prairies. Instead of being a record of gentle acoustic or steel guitars, Animals & Architects is an album built on a foundation of distorted piano loops, catchy melodies and electronic squiggles. Skrapek’s music has much more in common with the big city sample-based Russian Futurists than it does with the handful of famed Saskatchewanian (Saskatchewonian? Saskatchwanese?) singer-songwriters, like, say, Joni Mitchell… With music this good coming out of the province, maybe there is a reason to visit Saskatchewan after all. Read full article »

Animals & Architects review from Vue Weekly

Thursday June 14, 2007

Animals & Architects, Skrapek’s fifth release in as many years, is already garnering nods from the likes of CBC Radio 3’s Grant Lawrence. Rightly so: the record is chock-full of Maybe Smith’s signature fuzzy electronica, surprisingly and undeniably fun-loving. You’ll be hard-pressed not to sing along, roll down your window and turn it up. Read full article »

Animals & Architects review from Chart Magazine

Tuesday May 22, 2007

Saskatchewan’s Maybe Smith (a.k.a Colin Skrapek) has written and produced all four of his full-length albums. Perhaps by virtue of his mono-artistic method, his songs sound like a beehive of co-operative harmonic loops, fuzzy drum machines and lap steel guitar wrapped around layered vocals. The result hovers somewhere between Peter, Bjorn & John’s simple electro-folk aesthetic—“In The Woods” could easily moonlight as a track from Writer’s Block—and the honest pop musicality of Yo La Tengo. It’s a winning combination. Skrapek accomplishes on his own what many bands fail to achieve as a collective, all without coming off contrived, which is why it’s surprising that he’s remained below the radar for so long. Here’s your chance to discover a true northern talent.

 

Shows

No more shows for a while...recording!

Maybe Smith and Junior Pantherz

Wednesday April 16, 2008

View poster

June 7, 2008
@ Amigos
Saskatoon, SK

Maybe Smith at Canadian Music Week

Friday February 8, 2008

March 8, 2008
Horseshoe Tavern, 8:30 p.m.
Toronto, ON

Chart showcase featuring:

Said The Whale
The Ghost Is Dancing
Black Lungs
The Saint Alvia Cartel
White Cowbell Oklahoma
The Creepshow

Get there early—Maybe Smith is opening the show!

Maybe Smith on GO!, CBC Radio One

Tuesday October 9, 2007

From the GO! website:

“Brent Bambury travels to Saskatoon to celebrate a city full of geo-cashers. Not too sure what that means? Tune in on Saturday morning at 10 after the news to find out!”

This episode of GO! is being recorded at the Refinery Arts and Spirit Centre in Saskatoon on Thursday October 11, 2007. Get your free tickets!