Caledonia

Caledonia have an aptly rambling bio that tells tales of trips across Canada, kayaking in Africa and extended stays in hospitals that tries to communicate the fact that the ragtag five-some all bring something unique to the band and that is why the band can't be pinned down musically. But one listen to We Are America could achieve the very same thing. This is the band's third album and as a result, sounds assuredly polished and like it could have come out at any point in the past decade or so. In fact, it has a bit of an early '90s vibe, when bands wanted to aspire to bigger music that would transfer easily to the larger venues associated with success. This translates into a U2-like guitar sound on some songs that could quite easily survive without it. Yet it's the lower key, folk-y songs that are where Caledonia are at their most convincing, although they appear to be at their most comfortable when they aren't and, unfortunately, never want to overextend themselves. But just like fellow Haligonians Wintersleep, with whom they share a similar mentality, there is a very good chance that Caledonia will find a narrow musical niche that will bring them some kind of fame and fortune because they are quite good at what they do.