Killjoys
biography

There's a time in your career when you glance over your shoulder, take stock and realize that your artistic accomplishments have surpassed your original intentions: that you've reached a milestone where things will never quite be the same again.

For Hamilton power pop trio The Killjoys, Melos Modos is such a landmark.

The third album for the Juno-award winning threesome of Mike Trebilcock, Shelley Woods and Gene Champagne marks a new stage in their creative evolution. There are deeper textures, slower tempos, and a fresh confidence indicative of the band's seemingly clairvoyant creative process that brands Melos Modos as the next important step of a young, vibrant career.

"The album is really close to the way I initially pictured it," proudly remarks Trebilcock, the band's singer, guitarist and main songwriter. "I tried being totally honest with everything on this record," he says. "It might not be technically perfect in a lot of ways, but the feel, the attitude, the moods were there."

"I think we've taken a few steps forward with this record," adds drummer Gene Champagne, whose rhythmic finesse takes The Killjoys on a much more imaginative path. "It marks a definite change for us."

"I'm really pleased with it as well," states bassist Shelley Woods, the band's lynchpin. "We challenged ourselves, experimented, and I think we came away with something we're all very satisfied with and excited about."

The Killjoys' pride and excitment is well-deserved as Melos Modos marks the first of what will hopefully be many self-produced projects to come.

Although The Killjoys have always brightened our lives with melodically and lyrically compelling hits like "Today I Hate Everyone" and "Dana" from their debut, Starry, or the dramatic "Rave + Drool" and "Soaked" from 1996's Gimme Five, the hummable tunes on Melos Modos seem to emanate from a deeperplace in Trebilcock's psyche.

But the "warp speed" mentality of earlier efforts hasn't been abandoned by The Killjoys here, just refined.

There's the catchy, unharnessed aggression of the energetic first single, "I've Been Good," the hold-the-anchovies assault of "Perfect Pizza," and the sober heartbreak of the wistful "Beckon Call Girl."

Some of the album's softer moments -- the slightly psychedelic "Sandlewood + 50," the country coated "One Goodbye" and the snappy "Lucky Me" -- were accomplished with an unlikely ally, one that proves that a well-cushioned derriere and a placated spinal column can go far in this business: a leather La-Z-Boy.

"With the angle that you're lying, you can barely get enough air into your lungs," says Trebilcock. "So it definitely gives you a different sound."

The band has even recorded its first epic of sorts: the five minute-plus "Rocketsleep" that builds to a climax of experimental sonics that would make Sir George Martin proud.

As a lyricist, Trebilcock pulls no punches, although he's reluctant to spell out his inspirations or his interpretations for Killjoys fans and listeners.

"I think the lyrics are pretty straight forward for the most part," he offers. "If there's any theme on Melos Modos, there might be a touch of regret in there, I think."

"I just try to write the best songs I can. The soul of the song has always been the melody, so everything is dictated by that."

Recorded at Hamilton's Grant Avenue Studio with respected engineer Robin Aubé (Gordon Lightfoot, Holly Cole, Ani DiFranco) and mixed at Metalworks by Mike Plotnikoff (INXS, Aerosmith) Melos Modos is admittedly a McLuhanesque vision.

"I picked up Melos Modos from a Marshall McLuhan book," Trebilcock explains. "It's Greek and literally means 'The Road Round.' To me it signifies the cyclical nature of pop music."

The luxury of time also had a positive effect on the Melos Modos sessions. Whereas Starry was barbecued "mainly during our lunch hours" as Trebilcock terms it, and Gimme Five was baked, fried and boiled during a hectic two week session in Memphis, Melos Modos stewed over a month-long period.

"Recording over a month at Grant really allowed us to experiment a lot more," Trebilcock concurs.

But even The Killjoys' calendar of convenience still resulted in a superhuman effort: the band worked at a pace that meant completing a song-and-a-half every other day.

Trebilcock credits Aubé with creating a warm, comfortable aesthetic.

"It actually felt like we weren't making a record, which was important. It felt like we were just going in and playing. What made it even more enjoyable is that Robin is very accommodating and willing to experiment. Even if it ended at a dead end, he stuck it out with me."


Venturing further creatively than The Killjoys have before, Melos Modos is a lean and direct masterpiece of no-nonsense, an emotional investment of sweat, blood and everyday experiences, and it's one that The Killjoys will have resonating in your ears for years to come.