A Northern Chorus

One of the biggest crimes in Canadian music has been the fact that this Hamilton, ON band have flown under way too many radars for far too long. It seemed people couldn’t get excited about the incredible layers and emotions found in every strum and crashing cymbal. Hopefully this album will change that, as here they move away from the elongated song lengths of yore and, amazingly, pack as many layers of guitars, strings and drums as they can into every truncated track. This strategy works beautifully; each song crackles with an electricity not found on other releases and works even better at grabbing the listener’s attention. You can’t find a better opener than "Carpenter,” as it starts out deceptively plaintive then explodes with weeping strings, staccato drums and ringing guitars that fire the neurons. The best track by far is "The Canadian Shield,” where the reverb-laden guitars are at their finest and the band are at their most orchestral. As each strum resounds over the crashing cymbals and morass of instruments, it seems everything is in its right place. Some may use the word "ethereal” but it is far too dense to be pigeonholed as mere sonic gossamer. The joy comes from throwing yourself into these compositions and revelling in the dense emotional statements that this band are slowly becoming masters at creating.