Beams

Beams are a band that grew out of the Toronto's indie folk scene with a distinctive style that adhered to the forms of folk music sonically, but were always more than happy to push the limits of the genre. Early on, the defining sound was Mernieks' banjo, Hamilton's saw (duplicating the wooziness of a theremin), the occasional train beat on the drums, and the harmonizing between Mernieks and Mazhar. By their third album, their transformation into an indie rock band had taken them in a slightly trippier direction. The banjo was not much of a factor with Mernieks taking up an electric guitar, and their music was keener on pulling atmospheric effects on the said guitar, with beats and riffs gaining more volume overall. There were also bigger, more dramatic musical texture that went with it. That said, the folk flavors are still there in their music, though perhaps not as central.