Hopper

There is nothing better than angst-ridden French pop, except when it is sung in English. Even with lyrics that all bilingual Canadians can comprehend, this might be one of those albums with enough emotional intensity to transcend language barriers. Hopper’s music is a blend of folk, lo-fi, post-rock, jazz, and ’70s rock. For the most part, this is very melodic, light pop that detonates whenever one of the singers has a tantrum. With so many groups screaming nowadays, it is rare to actually find one where you can actually feel something behind those screams. Just when you think you have their sound all figured out, they unleash something completely different, such as a cabaret song. "Calculating Infinity” sounds like a lounge song gone wrong, but in a good way. Whenever they are not being completely serious, they still have enough raw force to bleed right into you. Hopper develop their pop base and build on it until chaos ruptures through the song. There are two vocalists in this band. One has a rasp that resembles an androgynous Beth Gibbons, while the other is more feminine, like a seductive Corin Tucker. This gives the impression of what Sleater-Kinney might sound like if they had grown up in a chateau listening to jazz instead of punk. Unlike some bands with more than one vocalist, they have the ability to sound like two distinct bands, one that will relax you, so that the other can slap you in the face and wake you up again. So when Hopper ask "Please can’t you love me,” it’s not hard to say yes.