After the Weather

First, this album is best listened to in close proximity or through ear-covering headphones. Second, this record should be appreciated for its long, drawn-out simplicity. There's nothing overly "oh my god, I'm going to run-around my neighbourhood screaming this band's name" about it but the complexity in the simple notes is the key. By Flashing Lights and True Love is a constantly morphing listen; one minute you're walking down the street and witness hundreds of pigeons flying in figure eights and the ascending guitar slides on "It's Too Loud" perfectly coincide with the visual beats the whites from under their wings make, the next the monotonous yet annoying drones of clones on the public transit system are completely drowned out by the music. It's hard to miss the Radiohead influence but it works for After the Weather. By Flashing Lights and True Love is an epic experience that needs to be lived in, from the see-saw of mumbling chants, catchy pop and guitar shredding in "Thoughts Make a Widow on a Plane Over Tofino" to the surf riff in the thrilling "My Communista and I."