P*P examines the fierce and fearsome taxonomy that historically has made some composers soulfully classical, and others popular. The cutting-edge of Canada’s composers write P*P-length, P*P-inspired works, the All-Stars of jazz throw their hats in the ring, and some of Canada’s most interesting indie-rockers flex their contemporary music chops. The ensemble Toca Loca has been furiously branding the cattle of the new music world, and has long been held up as the best argument against intelligent design. Its members comprise Gregory Oh and Simon Docking, pianos, and Aiyun Huang, percussion. Visit them at tocaloca.com

« There’s no shortage of amusing gambits on this album by Toronto trio Toca Loca, of composed responses to all things pop. Aaron Gervais’s Shoot Like a Film Star animates a snippet of junk e-mail text with energetic flourishes of voice and instruments (pianos and percussion), reinventing Dada for the spam age. Andrew Staniland’s Made in China worries over small musical aggregates while we soak in a phrase that contains a world of consumer goods. Juliet Palmer’s Five riffs on a song by Alanis Morissette, sending up pop’s insistence on repetition by writing canons that step on each other’s heels. Nicole Lizée’s Promises, Promises is a slippery, sharp-edge rumination on the passage of stylistic time, while other composers cut and rearrange elements of pop song structure. Nobody can resist the urge to complicate pop, though what would be really interesting would be to write something that’s as simple as pop, but that says more. »
– Robert Everett-Green, The Globe and Mail

« This is WAY more interesting than some I get here purporting to be cutting edge. I LOVE this album. It is refreshing to hear this kind of music that actually tells a story, has some architecture, all in all is fun!!! »

– Canary Burton, WOMR-FM

« In the oft-hermetically sealed world of new music, popular music is ridiculed and reviled. On P*P, it’s robustly relished and celebrated. Here, a dozen pieces from the realms of indie rock, avant jazz and elsewhere are performed with gleeful abandon by trio Toca Loca…It’s great to hear new music experts let their hair down. »
– Glen Hall, Exclaim! Magazine

« P*P is entertaining and confounding and superbly sophisticated all at the same time. »
– Chris Bilton, eye weekly

Video:

Toca Loca performs Promises, Promises by Nicole Lizée

MYRA DAVIES

1. No Time

AARON GERVAIS

2. Shoot Like a Film Star

ANDREW STANILAND

3. Made in China

GEOF HOLBROOK

4. Pep Formula

JULIET PALMER

5. Five

ROBERT STEVENSON

6. Lift

VERONIKA KRAUSAS

7. Blue

QUINSIN NACHOFF

8. Toca Loca

ERIK ROSS

9. Fibodoiccannez Splice

NICOLE LIZÉE

10. Promises, Promises

LAURA BARRETT

11. Robot Ponies

ANDREW STANILAND

12. Made in China (Barnyard Dramatic Overdub)