Pick a Piper

Inspired in no small part by such double drummer set-ups as Tortoise, Waterloo, ON's Pick a Piper have beats for weeks but, more importantly, they transcend tribal stomps with gorgeous textures and vocal melodies in their ambitious exploration of their beautiful musical pastiche. Brad Weber has spent considerable time on the road as a touring drummer for Caribou, so it's no surprise that complementing the dreamy, unrelenting rhythms of Dan Snaith has infiltrated the work he's completed for Pick a Piper. Along with Angus Fraser, Dan Roberts and Clint Scrivener, Weber has a powerful ensemble on his hands that sound airtight on this startling debut EP. With their melodic bass lines and carefully precise guitar parts, "Bechtel Park" and "Dené Sled" bubble up with cool grooves before exploding with torrents of pounded toms, snares and tastefully employed percussion. Vocal melodies are given equal consideration on songs like "Rooms," as Pick a Piper send warm doses of humanity into the air.