CREDIT: KRISTEN HERRINGTON AND JULIA RYAN
The Town Heroes new album Please, Everyone is definitively worth the listen, it is comparable to the Foo Fighters' EP Saint Cecilia.

I write about random things a lot. I write a lot about random things. In case you haven’t read Nick Reyno’s article on page 10, the Foo Fighters surprised the rock world early this past week with the sudden release of their new Saint Cecilia EP for free download from their website.

A thank-you gesture from the band for all the support they’ve received on their massive Sonic Highways tour, the EP was written and recorded in a makeshift studio at the Hotel Saint Cecilia in Austin, TX as summer waned. While the lyrics are mostly new, much of the music itself is culled from older demos and music from across their career, giving the collection a truly era–spanning feel; fans will not be sorry for the download.

One could say a lot of the same for Please, Everyone, the latest release from Cape Breton rock outfit the Town Heroes. Released by GroundSwell Music on Nov. 6, the album observes the explosive energy that the duo, guitarist Mike Ryan and drummer Bruce Gillis, have been crafting since their debut while honing their sound with the guidance of producer Jon Landry from the Stanfields.

To celebrate the release, the band kicked off a tour in style with an album release party in Halifax and are now headed our way. We’ll have two opportunities to see them this week, between gigs at the APK in London and the Horseshoe in Toronto on Dec. 1 and 2.

“It was a pretty great experience to step into the studio with someone who’s got some knowledge in areas we don’t,” said frontman Mike Ryan of Landry, their longtime friend and label-mate. “He brought a new element to the album for sure.”

Speaking by phone recently following a string of dates in western Canada, Ryan described how the duo worked in pre-production to sculpt the music in advance, yet trusted Landry’s studio acumen to help them realize the sound they wanted, one that lends as much focus and significance to the music sonically.

“Please, Everyone is a shout-out to people, a wake-up call,” he explained. “As in ‘please, everyone, listen up!’ Throughout the album are themes of trying to become aware of the world around you rather than just being absorbed in your cell phones or your computer, whatever it is that may be distracting you from the real issues in the world.”

Sessions for Please, Everyone were split between the Sonic Temple Recording Studio and Codapop Studios in Halifax, yet the energy permeating the record is palpable. You can hear it in the big, bouncy gait of “Family” or the opening title track, but it’s equally evident in mid–tempo or slower tracks like “Thought Police” or the stirring single “Baton Rouge”.

As the album elapses, the care that they placed on the process is evident, and it speaks volumes for a pair that are clearly willing to challenge themselves to stand out in a landscape dominated by groups with double their numbers.

“We want our songs to come across as full-sounding as they possibly can, and much of that relies on us being tight together,” Ryan said. “Playing the duo, you have to have good dynamics to make that work ... it’s a good challenge, we’re up for it.”

For more on the Town Heroes, their new album Please, Everyone or the gigs this week, visit thetownheroes.com or follow @thetownheroes on Twitter. Tickets for their show at the APK are $7 in advance from ticketscene.ca (until 5 p.m. on Dec. 1) or $10 at the door, 19–plus, doors open at 8 p.m.

And for more of the latest music news, album streams and gigs coming to London, add @fsu_bobbyisms to your Twitter timeline. Are you planning to give music as a gift this holiday season? This week should see a lot of publications releasing their year-end album lists, keep your eyes out for them to discover gems you may have missed this year. I’m out of words.