{"id":186,"date":"2009-12-03T09:04:31","date_gmt":"2009-12-03T15:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stylusmagazine.ca\/?p=186"},"modified":"2009-12-03T09:04:31","modified_gmt":"2009-12-03T15:04:31","slug":"dragonette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/2009\/12\/03\/dragonette\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragonette"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cruisin\u2019 to Bruise<\/em>
\nBy Sabrina Carnevale
\n<\/strong>\"drag\"
\nDragonette singer\/songwriter Martina Sorbara epitomizes the almighty frontwoman role by combining a strong undercurrent of sex and swagger with a slinky, flirtatious style. And keeping true to the rock \u2018n\u2019 roll way of life, her music career is reminiscent to a string of sexually-charged relationships\u2014the singer has been involved in numerous projects, both on her own and in group settings.<\/p>\n

But this time, she\u2019s promoting Dragonette\u2019s sophomore release. And in true Sorbara fashion, she\u2019s doing it while sporting some pretty fantastic spandex.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m the one style and fashion matters most to, because, well, I play with a bunch of dudes and I\u2019m the only girl,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I don\u2019t think I\u2019m a fashion-crazed girl who looks online for new trends or anything. I\u2019m a visual person and I like to make sure the visuals that go along with my music match up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The electro-pop quartet has officially made their mark on the Canadian charts with Fixin to Thrill, a worthy follow-up to their outstanding full-length debut album Galore. Sorbara, joined by her husband and producer Dan Kurtz on bass, guitarist Chris Hugget and drummer Joel Stouffer, have kept much of what worked for them the first time around, but streamlined things by incorporating more a of glossy, pop sound with an overall higher production value. You\u2019ll also find plenty of acoustics combined with hard, processed beats, up-tempo synths and hook-filled choruses\u2014the perfect Dragonette formula.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The band previously won points for Galore, with its charmingly trashy edge (have you seen the music videos for \u201cI Get Around\u201d and \u201cTake It Like a Man\u201d?) that garnered them a Juno Award nomination for Best New Group in 2008. Musically, however, Sorbara feels this new record has a bit more bite.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the first album, [Dan and I] were both writing songs not realizing that this is what we were going to do,\u201d she explains. \u201cWe sort of jumped headfirst and had fun with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the new record, Sorbara says, there is more emotion and sensitivity in regards to the songwriting, while still playing around with similar electronic elements from the first album. \u201cWhen the Fixin to Thrill was released, I didn\u2019t want to hear or know anything. It\u2019s all been really good, though, and not as scary as I anticipated.\u201d<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t expect Sorbara to be first in line to read album reviews, even though feedback on Fixin to Thrill has been very positive. \u201cI\u2019m the most sensitive person in the world; I can\u2019t read reviews or any of that stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Dragonette first arrived on the electro-rock scene, they were often referred to as new wave revivalists, but that\u2019s not something Sorbara necessarily agreed with. \u201cI don\u2019t think any of us are reviving new wave, I mean, yes, our sounds originate from that era,\u201d she says, \u201cbut our music is based on mostly pop elements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ten years ago, Sorbara explains, if bands weren\u2019t making mainstream pop music, they were categorized into alternate music genres. But in the end, bands just hoped their format got played on the radio. In the last few years, however, people have become more open to pop music as a creative format. \u201cThere are a lot of bands now making pop music in a totally creative, open-minded way, just because the format is now more accepted and easier to work with,\u201d she says. \u201cI feel like we make pretty unique music that people gravitate towards because it\u2019s attractive, playful and emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fixin to Thrill feels slightly \u201980s and neon-lit, especially on the songs \u201cOkay Dolore\u201d and \u201cBig Sunglasses\u201d (expect to hear some Cars influences). But the album is much edgier and brooding than its predecessor. The collection of songs also proves that the band is more than just sex and sass. \u201cEasy\u201d demonstrates how relaxed Sorbara\u2019s voice can be (think a slightly more falsetto Karen O or Emily Haines), while \u201cLiar\u201d is an all-around party track with a classy femme fatale edge.<\/p>\n

Believe it or not, upon the release of Fixin to Thrill, Sorbara and the band felt as though the record could end up swept under the rug. \u201cWe had felt like \u2018Does anybody care? Is anybody listening to our music?\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cI mean, we\u2019re still pretty underground and there\u2019s no real spotlight on us.\u201d But it looks as though their worries were unfounded as Dragonette recently toured Canada, the U.S. and Europe. The band even recently took over primetime television when \u201cFixin to Thrill\u201d was featured on an episode of CSI: Miami.<\/p>\n

Sorbara and the band are often approached by musicians to work together; they\u2019ve already collaborated with both Basement Jaxx and Cyndi Lauper. Most recently, Dragonette lent a hand on French DJ\/producer Martin Solveig\u2019s track \u201cBoys and Girls,\u201d which was recorded as part of the promotional campaign for Jean-Paul Gaultier\u2019s latest fragrance, Ma Dame. The video, shot in Gaultier\u2019s store in Paris, even includes a cameo from the superstar couture designer. \u201cThat video was really exciting. Jean Paul Gaultier\u2019s store was the most beautiful place I\u2019d ever seen,\u201d she says. \u201cIt had the most gorgeous, hand-stitched, elaborate outfits\u2014I just liked touching them!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sorbara admits that she doesn\u2019t have as much experience approaching musicians to work with the band. \u201cI try to push myself to do collaborations, it\u2019s not always the easiest scenario; when we have the opportunity, we try to do them,\u201d she explains. \u201cBut I\u2019m slowly realizing that I can approach people, too. Just the other day I was thinking, \u2018Wait a minute, people ask me all the time! I\u2019m totally allowed to ask them!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

So who would Sorbara like to work with next? \u201cI\u2019d love to do a duet with MGMT. I don\u2019t know them, nor do they know me, but I like them a lot,\u201d she explains. \u201cTheir music is very unique and out there, but still totally accessible and pop sounding.\u201d<\/p>\n

As far as the name \u201cDragonette,\u201d Sorbara explains it\u2019s an interesting word she came up with that combined something monster-like with something dainty. \u201cI kind of feel like that; I\u2019m sort of a total bruiser, but I like to get my nails done,\u201d she explains. \u201cMaybe more like a monster that likes to put on makeup!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cruisin\u2019 to Bruise By Sabrina Carnevale Dragonette singer\/songwriter Martina Sorbara epitomizes the almighty frontwoman role by combining a strong undercurrent of sex and swagger with a slinky, flirtatious style. And keeping true to the rock \u2018n\u2019 roll way of life, her music career is reminiscent to a string of sexually-charged relationships\u2014the singer has been involved […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckuw.ca\/stylus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}