Telepathic Butterflies

Rainbow Quartz Records’ claim of being the label home to perfect guitar pop rings that much truer with the release of this sophomore effort by Winnipeg’s psych-rock Telepathic Butterflies. Building on the jangly, Beatlesque foundations of the band’s 2002 RQ debut, Introducing, this new material finds the power trio ferrying its sound well across the Mersey and onto heavier, more stylistically varied ports of call, all the while maintaining the key elements that conspired to make the previous disc such a keeper. Songwriting front-man Rejean Ricard’s penchant for classic melodic pop remains evident throughout the album’s 13 tracks, each single-worthy one a veritable tackle box of hooks. Other strong points include robust vocals, bang-on harmonies and the kind of guitar work that offers up new rewards with each consecutive listen. The Butterflies’ evolution extends to the studio console, too, as evidenced by the self-produced album’s warm analogue glow. Stand-out tracks include the Swervedriver-on-Ritalin number "A Passing Glance,” and "Angry Young Man,” which conjures the iconoclastic, proto-punk spirit of the Kinks. "Rescue Mission,” meanwhile, owes at least a small debt of gratitude to Entwistle-like bass player Eric Van Buren’s old band, Grand Theft Canoe, whose song "Trouble TV” serves as an erstwhile blueprint of sorts. No biggie, though, as that parallel ought to be lost on everyone outside of the Winnipeg scene circa ’96, save for GTC booster David Wisdom, perhaps. The disc’s bilingual closer, "Big Bang!” highlights the band’s Franco-Manitoban roots, as well as Ricard’s considerable arrangement skills.