''The Choir Practice'' is the self-titled debut album by

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

collective

The Choir Practice The Choir Practice is a Canadian indie pop band from Vancouver formed in 2005. History The Choir Practice formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in the spring of 2005. A musical collective consisting of a rotating cast of "indie rock roya ...

, released in 2007 on

Mint Records Mint Records is a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based independent record label founded in 1991, by friends and campus radio enthusiasts Randy Iwata and Bill Baker. Mint has put out over 150 releases, several of which have won Juno Awards. His ...

. The album includes a version of

Carl Newman Allan Carl Newman (born April 14, 1968) is a Canadian musician and singer–songwriter. He was a member of the indie rock bands Superconductor and Zumpano in the 1990s. Following the breakup of those bands, he reemerged as the leader of the Ne ...

's "Failsafe", which was recorded and released several months before Newman released his own recording of the song on

The New Pornographers The New Pornographers are a Canadian indie rock band, formed in 1997 in Vancouver. Presented as a musical collective of singer-songwriters and musicians from multiple projects, the band has released eight studio albums to critical acclaim for th ...

' album '' Challengers''.

Reception

The album received generally favorable reviews, with ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

''s Chris Whibbs describing it "Sometimes it plods a bit...but at other times it's pretty awesome", while saying that the album is "full of lovely moments but the gimmick remains a gimmick."Whibbs, Chris (2007)
The Choir Practice ''The Choir Practice''
, ''

'', June 2007, retrieved 2011-05-14 Margaret Reges, writing for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, compared the album to folk acts such as

The New Christy Minstrels The New Christy Minstrels are an American large-ensemble folk music group founded by Randy Sparks in 1961. The group has recorded more than 20 albums and scored several hits, including " Green, Green", "Saturday Night", "Today", "Denver", and " ...

Peter, Paul & Mary Peter, Paul and Mary was an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival phenomenon. The trio consisted of tenor Peter Yarrow, baritone Paul Stookey, and contralto Mary Travers. The group's reperto ...

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...

, and

The Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Am ...

, calling it "nostalgic, wise, inspiring stuff" and stating "The Choir Practice are at their best when they take the traditional chorale sound and gently twist it into indie rock shapes with the help of a lone electric guitar and some handclaps".Reges, Margaret
''The Choir Practice'' Review
,

, retrieved 2011-05-14 Cassandra Kyle of ''

The StarPhoenix ''The StarPhoenix'' is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a part of Postmedia Network. The ''StarPhoenix'' puts out six editions each week and publishes one weekly, ''Bridges''. It is also part of the canada.co ...

'', described the album as "completely enjoyable and fun", describing the band's sound as "a 1960s easy listening vibe with a modern twist".Kyle, Cassandra (2007)
The Choir Practice offers refreshing record
, ''

'', May 31, 2007, retrieved 2011-05-14 ''

The Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...

'' described it as "a sort of a '60s utopia of beautiful and talented women, tambourines, and men in crisp white pants", identifying

The New Seekers The New Seekers are a British pop group, formed in London in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, The Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music would hav ...

, ''

Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical composed by Stephen Schwartz with book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set to lyrics from traditional hymn ...

'', and

The Langley Schools Music Project ''The Langley Schools Music Project'' is a collection of recordings of children's choruses singing pop hits by the likes of the Beach Boys, Paul McCartney, and David Bowie. Originally recorded in 1976–77, they were found and rereleased only 25 ye ...

as possible influences.Mack, Adrian (2007)
The Choir Practice
, ''

'', April 26, 2007, retrieved 2011-05-14

Track listing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Choir Practice, The 2007 albums The Choir Practice albums Mint Records albums