Irises

During their musical past, Stephen Quinn and Roxanne Heichert have played together in Vancouver bands Thrill Squad and Go Four 3, but these days as the Irises (along with former members of Odds, Pat Steward and Doug Elliott) they sound more convincing than they ever have before. Not surprisingly, the Irises do sound like those early bands that Heichert and Quinn were involved with, but they have shifted even closer to their endless goal of creating the perfect pop song. That gives their music a more timeless quality, which is reminiscent of the songs that the Primitives used to release back in the late ’80s, thanks in part to Heichert’s sweet vocals. Not Good in Bed is only a partial success, however, because while the good songs are catchy with smart lyrics, the other ones are so very ordinary that they could pass by without anyone noticing. Maybe it will take one more new incarnation before Quinn and Heichert make the album they’ve been threatening to for years.