High Notes

by Les Shirley

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I couldn’t be more thankful for the upbeat banger of a song I have to share with you this month. “Forget It I’m In Love” is by Montrealbased power trio Les Shirley and is the 10th track off the band’s first full-length album “Forever Is Now”. This song delivers everything you might want in a catchy rock tune. From fun riffs, and cool melodies, to a zipping guitar solo that hits like a bolt of lightning. I’d be lying if I said “Forget It I’m In Love” didn’t have it all.

Singer/guitarist Raphaëlle Chouinard begins the song with a spunky riff reminiscent of “A-punk” by Vampire Weekend except with a ska rhythm. The intro riff is quickly followed by the sound of rumbling bass guitar and drums with plenty of compression and saturation. As the verse is introduced the guitar switches to meaty chords and we hear the first lines of the song… “I think we met at a bar on a Monday / We had a mutual friend and we kicked it right away / I’m so glad you came”. Between the first and second verses, that catchy riff that introduced the song is repeated. Then Raphaëlle continues telling her story of meeting and falling in love with a stranger at a bar.

Transitioning out of the verse we hear the lines “I can take a fight / bring it” sung with a melody reminiscent of Johnny Rotton of The Sex Pistols. Tough-sounding guitar chords and bass notes performed with a stuttering staccato rhythm support the melody along with a pumping drum beat flowing underneath. Next, the band cuts loose with a melodic lead guitar line which repeats while the bass guitar swoops from note to note and the drums maintain the groove. Sparse lyrics are added on top to complete this unexpected yet satisfying section of the song.

Les Shirley ignores conventional song structure with “Forget It I’m In love”. The chorus feels more like a bridge and the bridge feels more like a chorus. And we only hear the chorus one time before the bridge is introduced. However, I didn’t notice all this “rule” breaking while listening to the song. “Forget It I’m In Love” brings the listener in so completely and rivets the attention so thoroughly. The last thing you’re thinking about is whether or not the band is sticking to the “verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, solo, chorus” formula. Les Shirley’s disregard for structural norms reflects a creative process that is interested in expressing an authentic feeling rather than doing things “correctly”. This authenticity is silently communicated and is a connection point between the band and its audience.

Les Shirly has one show left for the year. So, if you happen to be in Montreal Canada on November 12th be sure to catch their performance at Le National with Gazoline. If you’d like to learn more about Les Shirly you can find them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. If you’d like to listen to “Forget It I’m In Love” or any of the many great songs by Les Shirly you can find their music on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and most other places music is streamed or sold.

Ron Powers is an independent A&R specialist and music industry consultant, and is constantly searching for, discovering and writing about new talent.