The debut release from Vancouver's Fond Of Tigers, A Thing To Live With, is a diverse and challenging listen that defies simple genre classification. In just under 50 minutes, the band (variously described in print as "compelling", "eclectic", "transcendent", "hypnotic", and "post-everything") moves between sounds which reference prog-rock freakouts, pastoral, back-porch picking, wonky jazz, hardcore math-metal, and ambient drone, without ever coming across as a pastiche act. The material on 'a thing to live' with was recorded live, with all the musicians and amplifiers in one room, by Jesse Gander at the Hive.

Fond of Tigers have been developing a complicated, beautiful sound since 2003. Featuring seven of Vancouver’s leading creative musicians, Fond of Tigers play a layered, nuanced music that explores musical possibilities ranging from the smallest gesture of extended technique, to the full avant-rock bombast possible with a wild, double-drum-kit-led septet. Although admitting that “jazz purists will find little to comfort them”, Coda magazine named the group’s debut recording, a thing to live with (Drip Audio) “one of the best releases of 2006”. In just under 50 minutes, the band (variously described in print as "compelling", "eclectic", "transcendent", "hypnotic", and "post-everything") showcases their visceral combination of meticulous odd-time composition and improvisational abandon, resulting in a sometimes confusing, always exhilarating ordered chaos.
This dynamic and adventurous 7-piece inhabits an undefined space somewhere in the outlands of avant-rock. Fond Of Tigers is made up of some of Vancouver’s finest, young and creative musicians on the scene today. They are: Stephen Lyons (Heartwarmongering) on guitar, Morgan McDonald (The Buttless Chaps) on keyboards, JP Carter (Inhabitants, Great Aunt Ida) on trumpet, Skye Brooks (Inhabitants, Kevin House) on drums, Dan Gaucher (The Buttless Chaps, October Trio) on drums, Jesse Zubot (Zubot & Dawson, LaConnor) on violin and Shanto Battacharya (Field) on bass.