Timber Timbre on Soundtracking 'Breaking Bad' and a Dystopic Vision of China
First, Mathieu Charbonneau and his bandmates in Timber Timbre recorded dystopic songs for their 2017 album Sincerely, Future Pollution. Then, the Canadian indie rock quartet experienced dystopic reality first-hand last week while landing at Guangzhou's airport for their first China tour (which includes a gig at Beijing’s Mao Livehouse on May 18).
At least that’s what Charbonneau, keyboardist for the critically acclaimed band thought as their plane soared over the outskirts of the southern Chinese metropolis. “As we saw all these people and buildings stacked together, and all the pollution, we began saying to each other: ‘We’re a bit late. We should’ve played our dystopic songs here right away when the album came out!’” Charbonneau tells the Beijinger over the phone while taking the fast train to Suzhou for the band's next show.
Even though their dire songs seem well suited to China’s gritty, seemingly haphazard urbanization in Charbonneau’s view, he’s quick to laugh at the idea that Chinese fans might feel the same way, saying cheekily: “We’ve only been here for a few days, so my Chinese isn’t quite good enough to discuss dystopic fiction with anyone at the shows here.”
Despite the language barrier and culture shock, Charbonneau and his bandmates are loving the tour so far. He says that he's flattered, for instance, that so many Chinese fans are singing along with the songs, because he assumed the culture gap would render Timber Timbre an oddity on the mainland.
But given the current popularity of post-punk and darker strains of rock in China’s underground music scene, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Timber Timbre's Sincerely, Future Pollution has caught on here. Aside from drawing inspiration from elder alt-rockers Brian Eno and David Bowie, Charbonneau says Timber Timbre also turned to the soundtracks of dystopic flicks like Blade Runner and John Carpenter’s oeuvre for ideas.
The band’s affinity for soundtracks doesn’t stop there. In fact, prestige TV series like Breaking Bad and The Good Wife have scored key scenes with the ominously bluesy Timber Timbre song “Magic Arrow.”
“It’s always very exciting to have your songs used in that way, when the placement is good when it’s done right,” Charbonneau says of Breaking Bad’s inclusion of the song. He adds: “Millions of people who watch those shows will hear [it], and though some of them might not look it up or listen to it again, we at least reached them this way.”
Charbonneau has also penned scores for TV documentaries broadcast in his native Quebec and says he enjoys soundtrack work as much as his duties in Timber Timbre. “A soundtrack job allows me to stay close to home. That's especially nice after a long tour,” he admits.
That being said, Timber Timbre has afforded him the chance to tour China. And for Charbonneau, the sprawling man-made landscape of suburban Guangzhou is every bit as special as having your songs soundtrack the evil doings of Walter White.
Timber Timbre will perform at Wukesong's Mao Livehouse on May 18. Tickets are RMB 120 advance or RMB 150 on the door.
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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos: Electric City, NPR, City Slang
