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While they are somewhat reluctant to call The Fall of the Winter Palace a “concept album” they will admit that their shared obsession with 20th century history (Matt used to teach the subject) provided the thread that ties it all together. Perhaps this explains the presence of songs that deal with such seemingly unrelated topics as the Canadian downhill skier Dave Irwin, 1950’s movie starlets, Cold War ideologues, and doomed French autocrats. Concepts aside, going into the studio, Stirling wanted to avoid writing a record fit only for listening to through headphones at home. Ed Zych, who both recorded and produced all eleven tracks, intuitively understood their desire for big guitars and drums, a step away perhaps from their more piano oriented debut, Northern Light. This shift in musical style became almost unavoidable when the band’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist Matt Booi ran into some ne’re-do-wells after a show in Toronto last summer. The altercation left him with a broken hand that allowed him to still hold a pick but that made playing the piano almost impossible. The result is a disc that balances the glam of David Bowie with the strut and velour of Jarvis Cocker—an album that is, above all, meant to be heard live. Roxy Music, The Jesus and Mary Chain and the ghost of Talk Talk all make an appearance in the reverb-laden textures emanating from guitarist Josh Dallman’s amplifier. It is this attention to mood and atmosphere that is the cornerstone of Stirling’s particular brand of dial-twirling, frequency-taming, pedal-engaging and Bowie-inspired hollering. Filled out by Jeremy Gontier (bass) and Mike Rivet (drums), Palace was recorded over a period of more than a year. Its success has led to features on Much Music’s show“The Wedge” and a spotlight on MTV Live. They have shared the stage with the likes of Elbow, Kasabian, the Futureheads, the Duke Spirit and the Russian Futurists and have played across the pond in Berlin and London.