Elk

Elk's sophomore LP, Daydreams, is an exercise in self-control. Many of the tracks on the Ontario-based group's album sit right on the cusp of overzealous garage-rock, yet the band demonstrate maturity in their ability to rein their sound in before it becomes entirely cliché. Album opener "Before the Sun" features a genuinely inventive descending guitar line that keeps the song from falling into a typical '60s throwback groove. Daydreams' delicate production and swelling reverb lend themselves to the mellower tracks throughout the LP, but the group never let the more aggressive songs become completely overshadowed. At many points, album highlight "Come Home" begins to sound overly familiar in structure and tone, yet Elk manage to turn the simple pop song into something refined with an eloquent bridge. Daydreams is a strong stepping stone for Elk, marking them as a band that can venture outside the garage-rock umbrella without being swept away.