Kepler

Having recently been described as "music for slow dancing, minus the slow dancing," Ottawa's Kepler fit the bill quite nicely; especially now that they've all but abandoned the dynamics and fuckery element of their sound that helped them first garner the attention of the Ontario basement show massive. (Although this record's grand finale, "Elemental: Blood or Water," might show that they've got some slow burn fire in 'em yet.) As enchanting as Kepler often is, they sometimes make me think of lullaby music in the most literal sense: functional and moving, yet decidedly unmemorable in terms of each hook being somewhat indistinct. That having been said, Missionless Days does have some more upbeat moments to jolt you out of slumber land, such as "The Steal and the Stone," a great pop number that both reminds you of how much Kepler took from latter-day chime and mope kings Bedhead. It also serves to demonstrate how much they've come into their own right at this point, especially vocally, and have become a notable influence of sorts themselves.