Vinyl LP pressing. Paper Bag Vintage reissues a remastered edition of The Dears' debut album End Of A Hollywood Bedtime Story. The Dears, a critically acclaimed "orchestral-pop-noir-romantique" rock 'n' roll band from Montréal, is the lifework of Murray A. Lightburn. Son of a jazzman-turned-preacher, Lightburn's attunement to songwriting was shaped equally by '90s rock and a broad tableau of gospel, soul, and pop music. The Dears formed in 1995 and released End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story in 2000 via Grenadine Records. Their orchestral, dark pop sound and dramatic live shows cemented the band at the foundation of the then-emerging Canadian indie renaissance. "Bridging the gap between late '60s European heartbreak (a nod to Serge Gainsbourg) and modern underground fury (Crime And the City Solution), this sextet perfectly fuse the essences of both eras with a pained delivery by singer Murray Lightburn, even when he stretches to barely hit the notes. Layers of vintage, timeless keys (Farfisa VIP 500 et al.) are built upon anthemic chord progressions to create musical vignettes where loneliness, lost love and an oppressive urban skyline open wounds that only drink can cure. A great long player to wander lonely streets to." - Exclaim!, 2000