Attitude Adjustments: Sebastien Grainger

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FORGET EVERYTHING YOU know about Sebastien Grainger if you know of him only from the dance-punk duo Death From Above 1979. These days, he's a guitarist fronting his own group, and you'd never recognize him from the classic-sounding pop rock he makes.

"Sebastien Grainger & the Mountains" is full of shiny and sometimes even happy songs. It's Cheap Trick with soul, Fountains of Wayne with an edge and Metric, for whom he opens on Thursday, with more melody.

"This record is basically the record I've been wanting to make since I started recording when I was 14 years old," says the Toronto resident. "I've always been a fan of pop music. I didn't get into punk-rock music until I was in a punk-rock band."

Grainger recorded most of his album solo. His multi-instrumentalist capabilities stretch back to his teen years, when he spent countless hours making four-track recordings. "I like to redo things a lot, and I like to search for sounds. I found I wouldn't invite people in the studio for the sessions where I knew I was gonna be experimenting."

» 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW; with Metric, Smile Smile, Thu., June 18, 7 p.m., sold out; 800-955-5566.

Written by Express contributor Tony Sclafani
Photo courtesy Biz3