The A-Sides

Who would have guessed Vagrant would land these indie dance rockers? The A-Sides would be a better fit on Barsuk, alongside Death Cab for Cutie, or even on Canada’s Paper Bag Records, alongside Uncut. But forget their odd label home because these kids drench their rock in soaring synthesiser drones and happy-go-lucky guitar riffs. The comparisons flood the mind (People in Planes, Radiohead, Broken Social Scene, Wintersleep) and this tendency to evoke many other bands’ names may get the best of these Philadelphia-based poppers. "We’re The Trees” romances with a subtle horn section, while "Great American Novel,” with its poignant strings, grows on you. And by the time you get to the lonely and cold final cut that is "Sinking With the Ship,” you might just find yourself full out enjoying such a pleasant album. So what if they remind you of more than half the bands eating megabytes on your iPod?