Raised By Swans

London, Ontario’s Raised by Swans seem like a mysterious bunch, with their cryptic MySpace page and the stream of consciousness idioms on their homepage, but they certainly get the point across in their music. Andy Magoffin (their occasional bassist) recorded their debut long player, Codes and Secret Longing, at his House of Miracles and captured the band’s warm and comforting dream pop sound. "Relentless” summons the shimmering spirit of the Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie with the elegant pop flair of the La’s without sounding plagiaristic or too lulled. Singer Eric Howden (ex-Gandharvas) has a voice that registers with angels and harmonises magically with the pristine guitars of Chris Donais. Anglophiles, pay close attention. (www.raisedbyswans.com/relentless.mp3)