Les Jupes

This debut from Winnipeg charges out of the gate with a good mix of settings for its trump card, the moody baritone of Michael Petka Falk. He can summon at will the ghost of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis. That’s obvious by the third song, “Someone Lit a Fire Under Kruschev,” which allows one to dance like a maniac while contemplating the inner life of the Soviet Cold War premier. Also notable is a Roxy Music-like sax attack on “A Caveman Returns”, an ode to mathematics and atmospherics worthy of Arcade Fire, courtesy of one of that band's producers, Marcus Paquin. As brainy as he is bulky, Falk doesn’t let the intellectual layers upstage the sonics of an impressive entrance.