Language Arts ranges from beckoning choruses with bright hooks to meandering, lyrical sagas. Insights poke out with subtle nuances, sparkling and inquisitive. Kristen Cudmore (guitar/vocals) started the band in 2005 in Vancouver-via-Halifax, and brought the project to Toronto in 2010, to join her co-conspirator in music and fellow Nova Scotia expat, Neil MacIntosh (drums). Together they co-produced the albums, Wonderkind (2014) and Able Island (2015) with the touch of Grammy-nominated Darryl Neudorf (Neko Case) on the knobs.
With Cudmore’s classical and MacIntosh’s jazz training, they bring two very different perspectives: Bombastic rhythms, slick keys, and sophisticated songwriting on top of Cudmore’s entrancing vocals. The foundation of Language Arts’ approach is her guitar playing: adapting classical guitar technique onto the electric guitar, adding a wide range of effects, a counterpoint of complex layers. Cudmore studied in both Canada and Germany from the school of the immortal Andres Segovia. The two have offered an irresistible sound that is a reflection of their unique personality and memorable performances.
