Saturday, July 25, 2009

From Pole To Pole, Polaris!




Polaris
Polaris!
1997
Served chilled for you at 320
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POLARIS! are the proud heirs to a long line of Canadian instrumental groups that includes Wes Dakus & The Rebels, The Gemtones, Les Jaguars, The Rockatones, Les Versatiles, The Pharaohs, Les Megatones, The Esquires, The S'Quires, The Squires, and more recently Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet and Huevos Rancheros. For quite some time, PAUL HOGAN (guitar) had wanted to put an instrumental group together to create the kind of music he had enjoyed as a kid, by the likes of The Ventures and The Shadows: moody, danceable, mysterious, fun!

So, in the Spring of 1995, he called on his old pals PAT LAWLOR (guitar) and ROB PORTER (drums) to start the perfect combo. Pat had helped Paul out when his previous group, The Gluetones, were recording their E.P.; and Rob had been with Paul in local Ottawa bands before that. They asked their guitarist friend MARK MCGREEVY to step in on bass, which he gladly accepted. Another friend, DON CUMMINGS, occasionally added a touch of organ, as on the CD. Later that year, Polaris! made their first public appearance in Wakefield, Quebec, with Furnace Face.

They shared stages with Dick Dale, Laika & The Cosmonauts, The Friends of Dean Martinez, Huevos Rancheros, The Royal Crowns, Resin Scraper, Phono-Comb, Atomic 7 and many others.Their CD on Iglu is a tasty collection of twangy original compositions by the group and one carefully chosen cover (by Serge Gainsbourg). One way to describe their sound is: Young, Fast and Scientific!

After several years of giving true fans of music a great deal of pleasure, Polaris! disbanded when their drummer followed his muse to Newfoundland. The CD remains as a lasting tribute to their amazing creativity.

"Polaris are amazing... a completely gorgeous, gorgeous band" Brian Connelly (Shadowy Men), Toronto Star, February 1996.
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Tracklist:
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01 - HYPNOVISTA
02 - SPACIBA, DA SVIDANIA
03 - EURO STAR
04 - SCENE KING
05 - STRONTIUM 90
06 - DANGER GIRL
07 - DOCTOR ELECTRO
08 - BRYLCREEM PILLOW
09 - HIBACHI
10 - SEQUENCE VOITURE
11 - STRANGE MARY JANE
12 - BIG BOSS A GO-GO
13 - CRIME WAVE
14 - UNDERWATER MORPHINE
15 - POLARIS SHAKE
16 - N'ECOUTE PAS LES IDOLES
17 - PSYCHOTIC ROCKET
18 - PINBALL LOSER
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Find it HERE

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