Extended family — Vancouver’s Mother Mother hit Calgary along with Most Serene Republic, Dragonette and Small Sins

Among up-and-coming Canadian bands, few show more promise than Vancouver’s Mother Mother. The band’s unique appeal derives largely from its creative departure from the three- or four-piece formula — front man Ryan Guldemond’s lyrical crooning and punchy acoustic guitar bursts are flanked by the angelic voices of two female singers. More often than not, the harmonized interplay between these three voices is the centrepiece of the music, but a smorgasbord of quirky instrumentation and unorthodox song structure certainly provides almost too many alternative focal points.

“We hear a lot about the lack of cohesion and repetition: people find the album almost too eclectic,” says Guldemond, reflecting on the hesitant critical response to last winter’s Touch Up LP. “Musically, I think it’s scattered and diverse, but I think it sounds like an expression from one group of people, which makes it unified and cohesive. When you make a record, it becomes less about a bunch of songs and more about one grand expression. I don’t think we were going for either, specifically, when we made Touch Up. We just put a bunch of ideas in a pot, saw what happened, and threw it out to the world. It was really natural and spontaneous and experimental without anything being taken too seriously.”

Indeed, while the album hasn’t generated rave reviews, the band’s ceaseless tour schedule and obvious enthusiasm have earned them a reputation as a great band to see and as one of their hometown’s most promising exports. Currently on the road for the annual Exclaim! tour with Toronto’s horn-blowing Most Serene Republic, Mother Mother is using live shows to build momentum before heading home to delve into their next recording project.

“We’re taking a different approach to the new album than we have previously,” says the front man with just a hint of excitement. “There’s been a little more attention paid to cohesion and theme and threads between songs... the idea of an album being a composition unto itself. We have a bigger budget, there are going to be more resources and we know each other better musically and as people. Everything feels magnified.”

Of course, being a new band on the scene is no easier than it’s ever been — all the buzz and excitement in the world are seldom enough to put fledgling musicians in a comfortable financial position. Guldemond and his gang of Mothers are no exception, working multiple day jobs upon returning from tours to pay for things like rent and groceries. While the songwriter fantasizes about someday being able to devote himself completely to his craft, he emphatically denounces the idea that success will affect his ability to write great songs.

“A cushy life is something I don’t ever foresee happening to me,” says Guldemond. “You’ve got to live life in order to make good art. You’ve got to go out there and experience shit and really smell and taste life. For me, I’m doing that most when I’m on the road with my band, spending time with people that I love. Being challenged by things that draw me in — I think that’s the source of most inspiration for me.”

This is good news for the band’s fans, because the stage is set for Mother Mother to succeed in a very big way. It would be a shame to see them lose their edge as a result — no one needs to hear another band whine “mommy, mommy.…”