Exclaim! - Pharmakon

There's a quaint peacefulness that runs throughout Pharmakon, the latest, folk-infused album by Toronto four-piece QR5. It's the feeling conveyed by the tempered vocals of singer Matthew Maaskant as his words float over the band's multilayered arrangements that, while finding their roots in a folk tradition, are enriched by myriad sonic sources and influences. There are touches of reggae bass and guitar exchanges on both the skankin' "Revisited Gone" and on album opener "Living Large," where the reggae vibe is awash in a combination of restrained horn stabs, mandolin plucking, faint accordion chords and, eventually, a wave of stings. QR5 fight the urge to rock out on hiccup-y "Storyteller," maintaining their reserved composure through brief moments of heightened energy and guitar distortion over a beat that refuses to hold still. While the number of sound ideas poured into each track is commendable, the similarity between many of the cuts may be the album's one true drawback, a fact even further exposed by the album's relatively brief 40-minute runtime. That said, it's a sound that doesn't wear thin, keeping things fresh throughout.

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Echo Weekly - Feature

QR5 is in an interesting position. They are all multi-instrumentalists, with influences shooting out their ying-yangs, and have decided that in spite of being able to fully show off to the public, they instead intend on scaling it back sooner rather than later. Dating back about 10 years now...

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SCTAS.com - Pharmakon

So, here I come again, asking a band for my own forgiveness. qr5 - your album arrived, looked brilliant [the photography & design is clearly enticing, clearly] - yet it somehow got flushed into a sea of new / incoming music. The entire drive home consuming this vibrant album, I mentally kicked myself down the expressway. Pharmakon is glowing, it's "fresh" - as in something new; a band traveling one grooved direction while clearing a new path entirely. There are traces of dub / reggae on Pharmakon ["Living Large", "Revisited Gone"] - quite possibly the sole reason I passed you by in the initial reading of the accompanying press release[1]. Yet, like Paul Simon seeking a deeper understanding on Graceland [less "You Can Call Me Al"] - or the highly influential Talking Heads and their South African [to name but one - less the "punk" tag] meld in styles (think "(Nothing But) Flowers", Stop Making Sense ) - qr5 are clashing age-old musical rights and crafting exciting tunes as a result.

In the liners, qr5's lyrics read well enough - but when channeled through singer / multi-instrumentalist Matthew Maaskant and set in his very own unique delivery [not unlike David Byrne[2], at times] - you are introduced to a marvelous new outlook on the words. "I'm singing out from a form how would I etch water into stone / for you my vapor friends / I'm leaving out what you won't / how could I deny a body's own Unavoidable defense?". Sure it reads well, but the way this band transforms words into - for lack of a better way to put it - "fresh air", you really want to succumb and bask in their garden of mandolin, bass, banjo, percussion and pleasantly unique instrumentation[3]. Toronto / Ontario wins big - and this is positively the one band you have been told little about that matters the most. You qr5 fellas should be well proud of this album I am hearing - it's a stunner - and you know it. Music to be heard with ears beyond open, Pharmakon[4] arrived with little to no hype - yet has charmed this cynic-by-diagnosis into a new fan. I am not afraid to flood the praise when it is well deserved. Highly recommended, if nothing else for the fresh air alone.

[1] judge only after hearing the given submission. "It's meaningless to me, I do it all the time".

[2] D. Byrne has quickly become a quick-fix for linking the "it band[s]" of modern blog-o-sphere to the masses. Maaskant has a genuine delivery that actually achieves Byrne's craft and passion.

[3] tin whistle, dobro, recorder, jews harp.

[4] pharmakon: . meaning both remedy and poison. In ancient Greek it also means to paint with an artificial color; a chemical dye, that imitates nature.

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QR5 is a Bizarre Band

What would happen if say Modest Mouse lived in Jamaica? Canadian band QR5 are aiming to find out. Their third album Pharmakon sounds as if the Mouse went on vacation to the Caribbean and never came back. It's a bizarre mix of island sounds and indie folk.

It sure is a strange mixture but thanks to the well educated, highly professional members of QR5 they manage to make it work somehow. This is a bizarre record to get a handle on because there, quite frankly, is so much going on here it's hard to keep track of. Using a reggae beat as a back bone, QR5 manage to pile on all sorts of sounds from lilting guitars, to sweeping strings, and everything in between to come up with songs. They probably used like 180 tracks to record this album. Yet, despite the fact that it's a complex layered record it doesn't forget that having actual tunes is important.

Pharmakon despite its complexity is a fairly laid back affair. It is intimate while being expansive. It is still easy on the ears despite all that's going on. This is the perfect chill out album for the slacker set.

"Living Large," "Returning the Wheel," "Storyteller," and "Time is Coming," all show the strange mixture of influences that make up Pharmakon. While this might seem like a record destined to be bad or too jam bandish, it's actually not that bad. It's consistently entertaining because of how the record is put together and how the elements of the record come together to form a cohesive album.

Definitely one of the more unique records out there, Pharmakon, is an interesting listen for either reggae folk or those of you who have a hard time getting out of bed!

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Cable And Tweed

I'm inclined to think that acts like qr5 are why we need such vague umbrella categories as "indie" within which to lump bands. I have no idea how else I'd go about characterizing their sound in succinct terms. Think Wolf Parade meets Heypenny, with a bit of Kingston reggae. Maybe along the lines of the Police? I'd rather not leave the impression that they're a reggae band though, as they're not. Some songs feature prominent banjo or piano, while others include organ, strings, or horns. They describe themselves as a folk-funk-reggae act, and I suppose that fits appropriately. See for yourself.

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Smother

While the title suggestively invokes images of some pharmacist conference, "Pharmakon" is a funky reggae alternative pop-rock album. The music is layered with reggae beats and swinging upbeat guitars. The bass lines up a thick groove ladled with saturated tones and intriguing one-offs of soundscapes. Rhythmically it induces dancing even among those of us who have no business within a hundred miles of a disco floor. The vocals are quirky subtly making declarations about the world with R.E.M. worthy lyrics. Fun music from Ontario with a dash of worldbeat and jazzy reggae.

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Mish Mash Indie Music Reviews

The nature of qr5 is best described as "catch-all"---a random mixture of musical styles, instrumentation, and genres parading around in the clothes of pop music. This hodge-podge of musical wonderment succeeds in spite of itself, wrapping the quaint and unassuming vocals of lead singer Matthew Maaskant around the diverse sounds of folk and rock music, with just a touch of carribean rhythms.

The overall sound is latent, never in your face or aggressive, relying instead on stealth moves, creeping into the back corners of your brain while you listen. It doesn't hit you right away, but comes back in faded melodic memories, haunting and drifting in tune after beautiful tune.

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mp3 Hugger

qr5 ain't your average band. The Toronto based collective have taken the unusual step (in today's retro-riff-heavy climate) of blending reggae with a savvy pop sensibility. While this might be some people's idea of torture, qr5 twist the genres so satisfyingly you hardly notice the laidback grooves (mon). A lot of credit must go to Matthew Maaskant's singing, which is as pure as it is soothing. Behind him, the band churns a delicate magic that never intrudes on the singers' utterances merely bolsters the songs easygoing charms. Whether it will send single people the world over down the garden path remains to be seen, but it should signal that qr5's time has well and truly arrived.

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Introspective dancing offered up by qr5

THE LONDON FREE PREES

Mixing funk, folk, reggae and hip hop, qr5 proudly plays "introspective music you can dance to." If this sounds like the perfect musical dish, head to the Alex P. Keaton tomorrow night at 9 p.m.

The Toronto-based band began as a recording and production partnership between Matthew Maaskant (lead vocals, guitar) and Ben Bootsma (guitar, vocals, and organ). The two soon began collaborating with longtime friends Keith Stirling (drums) and Jonathan Weverink (bass) to create a diverse and dynamic musical quartet.

In addition to playing his instrument of choice, each band member contributes his own personal flair to the band, be it through lyrics, web design, photography or sound engineering.

Today marks the release of qr5's new album, Pharmakon, which, by definition, is "a medicine, drug or poison." To preview sample songs from the disc (Revisited Gone, Dreams) before the show, visit www.qr5.com/music. As well, browse through the site to see a collection of Maaskant's photography.

If you're up for something a little bit different, qr5, a band "about music as something you experience," will surely deliver.

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Musical magpies bursting with ideas never settle on what they do best

www.americana-uk.com

When a press release arrives with a record and declares the contents to be 'ambient-folk collides with funk and reggae influenced rhythms' I tend to reach for the musical antacids, and when the opening 'Living Large' confirms all of my fears, I begin to think that I really shouldn't be reviewing this. Wait though... things get much better - 'Dreams' and 'Returning the Wheel' are pleasant quirky pop songs. The closest they do actually get to either ambient-folk or reggae is 'Walking in (Crop) Circles' which does have banjo and a bass line that is sinuous and dubby. 'Flower to Another' confirms my suspicions that they'd be better sticking to the gently quirky pop sound that shimmers like a cross between Shack and Aloha or the Impossible Shapes; the vocals fizz up like quickly poured champagne, strings keep everything formal and the song dips in and out of quiet patches with the elegance of a kingfisher, er.. fishing - it is a lovely song. Pity it is the last strong piece: the remaining couple of songs harks back to the distant echoes of world music and though diverting they never reach the same heights.

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