Construction & Destruction are Dave Trenaman and Colleen Collins, hailing from Nova Scotia. A couple of weeks ago I was at a CD release party for their latest, The Volume Wars, with Shotgun Jimmie opening. The show was absolutely wonderful, a fusion of rock provided by Dave and strange ethereal electronic noises as made by Colleen, with I'm sure some interplay between the two. They trade off vocals, so why not everything else? The lyrics are beautifully literate and gorgeous to the ears. The show erupted into an all-star Sackville explosion complete with tambourine and didgeridoo, adding new layers to the literate lo-fi music found on the album. The whole of the crowd joined in on the chorus of 'and not seeing nothing at all', repeated and repeated and repeated ad infinitum and it was a moment of absolute and pure beauty, c'est tout.
Construction & Destruction - Thresheld
As you might know, I absolutely love words, and the way these two use words is such a selling point for me--it's simply beautiful, the simplicity of music and complexity of words merged. Leaning against a piano in a darkened living room, the voices and the sounds washing over you like a tide, that was a beautiful experience. The toned-down nature of the music might have some of you just half-listening, but it deserves your full attention, absolutely. Only with all one's attention directed thereto is the true beauty of Construction & Destruction realised.
The contrast between Dave's comparatively harsh voice with Colleen's dreamy and fragile vocals, in addition to the wicked juxtaposition of noises and sounds and genres all through the concert and the albums make this a worthwhile listen. It's all just so beautiful; the perfect band to see play in a friend's living room on a cold winter's night.
So, here are a few songs. The first two are from their latest record, but the third is from their 2007 release, Homebodies.
Construction & Destruction - What The Non-Human Taught Us
Construction & Destruction - The Volume Wars
Construction & Destruction - First Day
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