puff and the pillpoppers

Puff & the Pillpoppers Set the World to Flames (Indie Martian) The band name might suggest shits ’n’ giggles, but there’s little doubt that this Montreal quintet is deadly serious about their soul-punk dirges and dense, defiant rock nocturnes. “June” and “Precious Thing” stagger under the weight of the world while “Pillpoppers”—a theme song?—charges into it headfirst. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Simon Bergeron has assembled a capable crew, with a fierce rhythm section boosting up his...

Puff & the Pillpoppers Set the World to Flames (Indie Martian) The band name might suggest shits ’n’ giggles, but there’s little doubt that this Montreal quintet is deadly serious about their soul-punk dirges and dense, defiant rock nocturnes. “June” and “Precious Thing” stagger under the weight of the world while “Pillpoppers”—a theme song?—charges into it headfirst. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Simon Bergeron has assembled a capable crew, with a fierce rhythm section boosting up his trade-offs with singer Caroline Daigneault, who hits it out of the park a few times here. The MVP, though, is Fannie Pelchat D’Ascola, whose churning Hammond organ is a tidal wave carrying the whole thing to kingdom come. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) Mirror Montreal