Boas

Formerly known as Mansion and then forced to change their name, Boas, a Canadian-American quintet, decided to salvage their old name for the album's title. Forging a keen sense of the abstract with a strong hankering for country-blues rock, Boas don't hold back on unleashing their weird sides. Their loose ability to explore the functions of their instruments and come up with truly mind-expanding sounds is quite admirable. Mansion is not a record that goes down smooth, and instead, challenges the listener's wits with hidden pop tasters there to discover. Certain parts sound like Neil Young and Pink Floyd, others resemble Queen and the Stones. An album that was definitely born to entertain and confuse, Mansions is one hell of an outing.