iTunes

Opening the iTunes Store.If iTunes doesn't open, click the iTunes application icon in your Dock or on your Windows desktop.Progress Indicator
iTunes

iTunes is the world's easiest way to organize and add to your digital media collection.

We are unable to find iTunes on your computer. To preview and buy music from The Hidden Names by Parlour Steps, download iTunes now.

Already have iTunes? Click I Have iTunes to open it now.

I Have iTunes Free Download
iTunes for Mac + PC

The Hidden Names

Parlour Steps

Open iTunes to preview, buy, and download music.

Album Review

Vancouver's Parlour Steps have found themselves in an unusual place on their 2009 album — good enough if somewhat nondescript at what they do the most, but with better strengths underplayed yet hinted at throughout the album. On the face of it, the quintet is simply yet another early 21st century indie rock band in a field choked with same — there's a hint of the Decemberists' theatricality, the wiry nervousness of Spoon's efforts, and perhaps inevitably, a little bleedover from acts like the New Pornographers, though to their credit Parlour Steps don't completely clone one band or another at any point. Still, for the most part, things are just that, pleasant power pop for a newer generation that's a little more beholden to keyboards than post-Beatles guitars, and which, more often than not, seems to permanently operate on jaunty/peppy mode, as songs like "Soft Lies" and "Blindness" show. But lead figure Caleb Stull has an often sweet singing voice that suggests the underrated Joe Cassidy of Butterfly Child, and while the band generally doesn't show the complex reach of that performer at his considerable best, more than once the Parlour Steps slow down (or strip down) the performances enough to show suddenly different shades in what they create. Thus "Little Pieces," near the start of the album, lets Stull's singing stand out over a more considered but not lugubrious arrangement, while other songs like "Yesterday's Tomorrows" and "Sleeping City" allow this delicacy to gently thrive. Whether or not this side of the band is pursued more is up to them, but it's the glimmer to keep in mind for the future.

Customer Reviews

Exceptional music

Ive followed Parlour Steps for over two years now, and watching them evolve has been an adventure! Their newest album is amazing.... I recommend everyone check it out. I hope that they are able to visit the states soon!

Biography

Formed: Vancouver, British Columbia, Cana

Genre: Pop

Years Active: '00s

Parlour Steps frontman Caleb Stull dubs his band's music "thought rock," a rather cringe-inducing term that suggests considerably more ponderousness and pretension than the Vancouver, British Columbia, quartet shows in its music. Like fellow Canadian indie rockers ranging from Destroyer to the Arcade Fire, Parlour Steps are unafraid of an epic, expansive sound, but the folk, country, and jazz influences in their music make them sound a bit like a north-of-the-border version of the Decemberists. Parlour...
Full Bio
The Hidden Names, Parlour Steps
View In iTunes

Customer Ratings

Influencers

Contemporaries

Become a fan of the iTunes and App Store pages on Facebook for exclusive offers, the inside scoop on new apps and more.