Dragonette

Toronto, ON's dance-loving rockers are back with their sophomore release, full of heavy synths and other electronic instrumentation, as well as choruses bursting with memory-sticking potential. Front-woman Martina Sorbara deliberately floats between identity crisis and artistic development vocally. In songs like the title track and "Stupid Grin," her voice is incredibly strained, pushed towards a higher octave than Emily Haines'. But in tracks like "Easy," she's relaxed and it ends up being the most beautiful song on the album. "Liar" is right in between the two extremes but demonstrates the group's talent for making a party track that'll hopefully see longevity, especially in terms of remixes and live performances. "We Rule the World" oozes videogames, Candy Land and the '80s, "Big Sunglasses" has pretty cheesy lyrics and "Okay Dolore" gives the impression that even though Dragonette are usually about the "mature issues," this album has more of a teenager's slumber party feel.