THE BILLS
Yes Please
Red House 267

www.redhouserecords.com
 

Known once upon a time as the Bill Hilly Band, The Bills have spent nearly two decades establishing themselves as one of the premier “roots” bands on the scene, it being understood that “roots” is a quick, shorthand way of describing bands which draw on a variety of traditional sources for their music, adding in along the way a lot of their own ideas and style. It’s the kind of music that some have come to call “Americana” in recent years, but seeing as how The Bills hail from the west coast of Canada, that’s probably not exactly the marketing term they had in mind. And the truth is, it’s music that, on the whole, Canadians just seem to be better at than their musical colleagues and peers south of the border. A rousing argument could be had pro and con over that, but The Bills make a pretty convincing statement for the “pro” case.

The core of the band is Marc Atkinson, Adrian Dolan, Chris Frye and Richard Moody – mulch-instrumentalists all, and a full listing of who plays what when would take too long, so let’s just mention guitar, fiddle, mandolin, accordion, viola and mandola to give an idea of the texture of the sound. Joey Smith handles most of the bass work, with Joby Baker on percussion. Five of the baker’s dozen tracks on “Yes Please” are instrumentals displaying a nice variety of moods and tempos, from “Quarter Century Mazurka” and “Love’s Melody” (a Django Reinhardt tune) to “The Gardenton Waltz.” The remaining songs are all written individually or collaboratively by Atkinson, Dolan and Frye, and while there’s an occasional bit of head scratching – one wonders what “Not The End” is all about, especially the line “no hidin’ from those Suez lies” – it’s all very literate, thought provoking, and well matched to the melodies and arrangements.

All four core members contribute vocals, but Frye is the obvious choice as the lead singer. He has a clear, strong, rich voice that, while not quite as deep and resonant as the late fellow Canadian Stan Rogers’, does invite comparison and is a major part of the band’s appeal. Including their early Bill Hilly releases, this is their fifth album, and they seem to get stronger and more confident each time out.

— John Lupton