Kat E. Burns, front-lady of Toronto’s Forest City Lovers, is a busy lady. Between finishing her visual arts degree at OCAD and showcasing her own provocative art projects, it’s a mystery how this modern Renaissance woman finds the time to butter her toast. And her band’s not half-bad, either. In fact, Forest City Lovers’ second studio release Haunting Moon Sinking has earned some notable nods from critics abroad as well as in Canada.
Known for their gracious and powerful stage performances, Forest City Lovers’ Haunting Moon Rising brings that electric creativity to the recorded disc. It seems the muse that provokes Burns’ visual art also works for her musicianship.
“Creativity, it works in tandem. I think that visual art and music work together, in that there are ways of expressing yourself—but they just happen in different moments,” she said.
Burns formed the band back in 2005, following the release of her folky solo EP For the Birds, athough she never had any intentions of becoming a solo artist.
“I was playing some shows by myself in Toronto, though I never wanted to be a solo artist. I wanted to have a band and make some friends.”
So after flipping through a Rolodex of talented buddies, Burns arranged the current of the band, making sure to include those who possessed some serious classical chops—such as Mika Posen, who handles the string section with the violin, viola and adds the piano. With Christian Ingelevics on percussion, Kyle Donnelly holds down the bass and guitar, while everyone seems to chip in on the back-up vocals and glockenspiel.
The band’s first independent studio release The Sun and the Wind in 2006 depicts an evolving band, though one inspired lyrically by some serious downer moments—death and dying is a serious theme throughout. Although their new album comes from some sunnier places, Burns says Haunting Moon Rising maintains that serious edge.
“It does touch on death. For a while the band was definitely making fun of me. It was completely unintentional,” she said with a laugh. But there is something mortal, almost ephemeral about their new album, too. Each track crouches just under three minutes long and Burns’ cool, sad voice lilts between the strings, triumphantly craning upwards when percussion permits. The album is completely weightless.
Burns explained her songwriting process as something equally ephemeral.
“It’s so hard to explain. It sometimes feels like it just comes out of nothing, I just get hit with it.”
“Country Road” is easily the album’s most popular track, receiving loads of play on CBC Radio across the country. A meandering guitar riff against a steady fast beat, the song is comparable—though not similar—to the current indie sound. But a couple of tracks later and you’re hearing Stevie Nicks singing wandering Gypsy anthems. “Monsters” is like a less chaotic twist on the Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello—all the charm of Eastern Europe twinned with haunting vocals and a violin that can only be described as Polish. Burns describes this sound as a “happy accident.”
“I have an eastern European background. I’ve been listening to a lot of [eastern music] in the last year. It’s about experiments, happy accidents. You have to embrace them.”
With the Forest City Lovers, diverse influence seems to be the key to their sound. According to Burns, each member brings their own influences to the stage.
“Kyle likes Mates of State and Tegan and Sara. The both of us used to really like punk, though. Mika is classically trained, so she grew up with classical. Christian likes a lot of jazz. I like hip-hop too.” When asked what her favorite song on Dr. Dre’s legendary album 2001-the Chronic was, Burns eagerly recounted an event called the Rock Lottery, where her band covered and performed “Forgot about Dre” in front of hundreds of people.
“I got to rap the Eminem part,” she recalled. When it all boils down, though, Forest City Lovers just appreciates an artist who can craft a decent song. After a quick tour of southern Ontario and Quebec, Forest City Lovers are off to Europe in the spring following Burns’ graduation from OCAD.
“We’re hopefully going to play some festivals [in Europe] in the summer and fall as well.”
Forest City Lovers play Thursday night at The Artel, 205 Sydenham Street, with Geoff Berner.
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