The Most Serene Republic

Like a vintage edition of Reader's Digest, the lyrics heard throughout Population, the latest disc by The Most Serene Republic, are capable of increasing the average person's word power. "Solipsism," "entropy," "declamations" and "neurasthenia" are only a few of the terms that prove these brainy Canucks attended their college classes...

By Michael Roberts

November 29, 2007

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Like a vintage edition of Reader's Digest, the lyrics heard throughout Population, the latest disc by The Most Serene Republic, are capable of increasing the average person's word power. "Solipsism," "entropy," "declamations" and "neurasthenia" are only a few of the terms that prove these brainy Canucks attended their college classes and actually paid attention. The music's equally smart, as "Present of Future End" demonstrates. But if the jazzy keyboard soloing by Ryan Lenssen that animates "A Mix of Sun and Cloud" or the dizzying vocal line that traces its way through "Multiplication Desks" suggests straight-A students who are still looking for extra credit, the players' creative energy and enthusiasm makes their chronic overachieving easier to take. For the men and women of The Most Serene Republic, music is a quiz, and they're determined to ace it.

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

Follow:

Facebook: 111180895657427

Twitter: @mikerobertscolo