Trembling Spheres

Reaching a point of transcendence in music is a lot harder than it sounds. For every band looking to best U2's most emotionally earnest moment (probably the "And you give yourself away" line in "With or Without You"), nine out of ten fall flat. And that's why it's so special when a band like Vancouver's Trembling Spheres can. Group mastermind Christopher Yip wrote all nine songs on the quintet's debut, blending hometown shoegaze legends Daytona with ambitious late '90s emo group Elliot. Yip sings with a purity most singers lack — he's able to reach those emotional high points without straining his voice — and the simplicity of his melodies and music push The Ghosts of Sleepwalk Town over the top. Other bands show more ambition or originality but few are this damn catchy.