Pitchfork

Gee, ain't love grand? Were it not for love, the world would be a grayer, grimmer place, a place devoid of Mates of State, Sonny & Cher, and t.A.t.U. Thank love as well for bringing to life Hello, Blue Roses-- the new project from Destroyer/New Pornographer/Swan Laker Dan Bejar and girlfriend/visual artist/Bonaparte bandleader (more on that later) Sydney Vermont/Hermant. Thank love and, well, boredom.

"It's stress free and fun," said Vermont of the Hello, Blue Roses collaboration in a recent e-mail interview with Pitchfork. "The glory of a two person band: 'I'm bored, want to record an HBR song? OK!'"

Vermont and Bejar have become bored enough to write and/or record about seven or eight songs thus far, including a couple covers and "our anthem song," says Vermont, called "Hello Blue Roses" (sans comma). The Vermont-sung tune sounds kind of like a medieval minstrel song, except for the handclaps and Bejar's background mumbles. It appeared on a recent compilation of Vancouver artists and you can hear it right now on HBR's MySpace or download it below.

The pair, which took its name from a line in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, has been seriously collaborating "for about a year now," says Vermont. She writes the lyrics and melodies, sings, and plays flute, while beau Dan "arrangers, adds instrumentation, and sings back-up," according to Vermont. Or, as Bejar put it: "I am a budding engineering star."

Hello, Blue Roses jet off to Spain soon to spend six months with Bejar's family. There they hope to continue writing and recording, and "maybe [play] a small show," with the goal of "having a finished record by the time we return [to Vancouver] in April."

The couple have already played a few gigs, including a "secret show" in the pre-HBR moniker days of 2001, where they covered Judee Sill and Kate Bush. As for the sound of HBR's originals, suggested Vermont: "I like to think of these songs as slow danceable or circle-danceable or something." Nice!

While collaborative music-making for Hello, Blue Roses seems to be off to a solid start, Vermont admitted that "it can be a frustrating translation process" sometimes.

"I get bored during the workshop part, irritable. I emerge from the bathtub and [say] 'here is the song, now I'm going to bed.' Dan's like 'that's not a song yet.' Then we have to tease it out of what I am hearing in the bath."

All in all, however, the vibe is great, although the two occasionally butt heads when it comes to certain important band-direction-related decisions. "If I had my way we'd be in costumes all the time," mused Vermont. "[Dan's] good at refusing to wear a costume."

A man of many projects, Bejar's recent collaboration with Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown) and Carey Mercer (Frog Eyes)-- Swan Lake-- releases its debut, Beast Moans, on November 21. Bejar is also, according to Vermont, about to begin working on the new Destroyer album, and "there is some writing in the works" for the next New Pornographers record. As previously reported, Porno ringleader A.C. Newman has already started on that disc in New York.

And Vermont herself wouldn't be a proper Canadian without six kajillion side/co-projects. She's also vocalist, pianist, flautist, and songwriter for Bonaparte, which features Bejar on rhythm guitar, Steve Wood (The Battles) on bass, Josh Lindstrom (The Precious Feathers, the Awkward Stage) on drums, and Krista Marshall on guitar. Bejar and fellow Pornographer Kurt Dahle produced Bonaparte's debut, which the band hopes to self-release this spring.

As if that weren't enough, Vermont sings in Vancouver's the Choir Practice too, alongside members of the Gay, P:ano, Blood Meridian, and A.C. Newman's band.