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The Most Serene Republic's Adrian Jewett experienced a life-changing epiphany while recording the 2007 album Population.
As the band's primary songwriter, Jewett wanted to describe just how mind-numbingly boring life was in his hometown of Milton.
For a teenager, growing up in Milton, or any soulless suburb, is about as tragic as life gets.
In the middle of recording his visionary prog-rock concept album about urban angst, Jewett had a panic attack, resulting in a sudden and profound revelation.
He was bored of boredom.
"The new album was a healing experience. We were trying to alienate ourselves from the disposable culture we grew up in and came to hate," the 24-year-old singer, trombonist and songwriter admits. "We realized that we couldn't fight the culture we were born to. So we reached deep into ourselves to get the poison out and chill, enjoy the music and not worry so much."
At that point, he breaks into a heartwarming round of The Eagles' Take It Easy to show me how easy chilling really can be.
You can hear Jewett embracing optimism, or at least curtailing his cynicism, on the band's latest album ... And The Ever Expanding Universe.
It's unlike anything else you've ever heard. An orchestral soundtrack that combines his passion for science fantasy and mythology with silly wordplay on No One Likes A Nihilist, Heavens to Purgatory, Four Humours, Catharsis Boo.
You won't find anything as conventional as a love song anywhere on the disc.
"Songs about human relations have been beaten into a pulp," Jewett says after considerable consideration. "Love songs have all been done before. I know that sounds bad. We're trying to be more optimistic. But we're uptight people. It sucks."
Jewett and his co-founding partner Ryan Lenssen have a brief history of making intellectually sharp pop, beginning with their band The Oneironauts in 2003 before becoming The Most Serene Republic after guitarist Nick Greaves joined the band.
The band broke nationally with Pedestrian in 2007, doing their first television spot on MTV Canada, wearing Star Trek costumes, claiming they were going to a Star Trek convention.
Not surprisingly, his favourite albums all share the same otherworldly fantasy view of life and love, such as Tears for Fears' Songs from the Big Chair, Kate Bush's Hounds of Love, Radiohead's Kid A and The Beatles' White Album.
You can hear it all the way through Jewett's own writing on ...And The Ever Expanding Universe.
"That's the music that gave me the hunger to get into something when I was a hyperactive kid. Dad's music got me hooked on music. It changed my life."
Most Serene Republic play Zaphod's on Saturday. Opening is The Meligrove Band. Advance tickets are $12 at Ticketweb.ca or call 1-888-222-6608.