Among a sea of green beer and drink deals in the ByWard Market, Selina Martin will be bringing her new sound to the Mercury Lounge on March 17.
I’ve Been Picking Caruso’s Brain; I Think I Have the Information We Need to Make A New World is Toronto singer/songwriter Selina Martin’s fourth album, but she says this is the one she is most excited to perform.
With this release, Martin departed from her more traditional pop and rock roots and moved in a new direction. She calls it “post-pop” because “it’s simple pop songs made to sound broken.”
Martin said she was influenced by a multitude of unconventional styles of music throughout the creation of Caruso’s Brain, including noise music.
Her interest in improvisational music styles called for the appearances of cellist Peggy Lee and saxophonist Brodie West on the album.
“I really like having that element of material that’s written mixed with stuff that’s improvised,” Martin said. “I also like having a mixture of acoustic instruments and electronic instruments.”
Martin said she feels existing genres of music have been done to death.
“I think it’s way more interesting if you can make your own genre,” she said.
She went on to explain this dissatisfaction with genre labels makes her want to avoid any one label.
“I get bored easily,” Martin said. “I don’t want my music to be considered a certain genre of music.”
As much as she loves to explore new music, Martin said she still loves to write catchy pop hooks. Her discography consists mostly of experimental rock songs anchored by pop sensibilities and catchiness. She brings songs such as “Bike” to the table on her new release, with only one or two notes, that she said are “still catchy somehow.”
Martin has said, in relation to her new album, that she feels like traditional music does not accurately describe modern life.
“The world feels different now than it did 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago,” she said. “I’m excited by innovation.”
The title of the album itself boasts exploration and discovery. “It feels like a little bit of a story and it also feels like a little bit of a mystery, and it also feels like potential,” she said.
Martin called Caruso’s Brain a “studio album,” noting she likes to use the studio to its full disposal as an instrument. She said she does not expect the recording and her performances of Caruso’s Brain to sound the same. Martin said she is confident, however, that her and her band create an experience representative of the album.
