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Starting as a project in the late teens of our current century, Parisian Orgy came upon the Calgary scene playing smart, playful, art-punk helmed by multi-disciplinary artist, Gwen Morgan. It took a couple years to collage the other members into what it is now but this collaboration of artists putting time into a project has been quietly gaining momentum and creating dance floor memories in the local scene for the last few years. We first caught them opening for Lydia Lunch and thought they were brilliant and knew we had to work with them to get an LP out. These tracks are anchored by smart bass lines and danceable drums with layers of guitar, toy instruments and synthesizers. New Wave Exotica melodies, bedroom pop, playful lyrics - all to be found in a DIY recording helmed by 2/3 Puppet Wipes at Pee Blood Studios. Parisian Orgy ensure that good songwriting with a pop edge stays up front and the ample amount of texture is used to compliment what's going on under the surface and not to distract. Here's their debut 12" including 8 original tracks + a Tokow Boys cover.
FFO Inflatable Boy Clams, Sara Goes Pop
Our take: We know Neon Taste Records mostly from the hardcore punk records they’ve given us from groups like Bootlicker, Chain Whip, and Imploders, but the label’s discography includes a couple of curveballs, the latest being the debut vinyl from Calgary’s Parisian Orgy. Parisian Orgy’s debut isn’t a smooth jazz record or anything, but it has a different energy than hardcore punk... adjectives like playful, feminine, contemplative, and experimental come to my mind. To me, Parisian Orgy fits into the same stylistic universe as some of the early Rough Trade Records bands or the wider UKDIY movement. As with the Raincoats, Swell Maps, Young Marble Giants, Desperate Bicycles, etc., you can hear punk’s energy in Parisian Orgy’s creative drive, as well as in the scrappy, very DIY nature of their recording and performance. However, Parisian Orgy doesn’t sound like they’re trying to ape a particular sound (at least to my ear)… just doing something similar in making ambitious music with limited means. People who aren’t looking to slot Parisian Orgy’s music into some extant historical milieu have described them as “slapstick synth pop” and “cabaret meets Pee-wee Herman,” and while I like how evocative those descriptions are, I don’t think they get at the whole wide-screen view of what Parisian Orgy’s music encompasses, especially over the course of this richly varied album. If you’re ready for a break from all the screaming and are up for a record that’s artistically ambitious, homespun, and very un-macho, this is a great pick.