I wanted to love this literary, punk-rooted Winnipeg band. Their
lyrics lean to the wordy side, but the lyrical passion doesn’t match
musical. The lit-rock sound picks up through the second half of the
album, but not enough to stand out. Produced by The Weakerthans’ John
K. Samson, this, their second full-length, sounds like they’ve taken
several pages from that band’s book. Other reviewers have praised their
music as a throwback to days when indie rock didn’t require American
Apparel or orchestral sequences—but what’s so exciting about making a
record that sounds like it was made in 2001?
This article appears in Jan 15-21, 2009.