City and Colour

Dallas Green continues the quieter, slower presentation he began while still a member of the screamo band Alexisonfire. This album, City and Colour’s fourth, debuted at number one on the Canadian charts, so somebody’s into it. An observer puzzled by this success might speculate  that adolescent ideas like “I’m searching for a paradise that I just can’t seem to find” have extra resonance when sung sweetly over a metronome set to “stunned.” There’s just enough darkness, like the descending chorus in “Death’s Song.” “Thirst” actually rocks a bit, so “slow-emo” doesn’t quite cover it, though that is kinder than “boring.”