Small Sins

After 2007's Mood Swings was met with relative indifference (the implosion of U.S. label Astralwerks didn't help), it looked like the end of Small Sins. But after some time off spent touring as K-os's backing band, Thomas D'arcy and company resurrected the project, once again heading to Chicago, IL to record with Tortoise's John McEntire. The results follow in the indie pop vein of Mood Swings, again mostly eschewing the sublime, hushed electro pop of the band's debut, which brought garnered them attention in the first place. While Pot Calls Kettle Black certainly won't bring back fans put off by the band's last effort, it houses some fantastic tunes. The titular first cut starts things off with a mournful vibe, adding a bit of swing to the band's usual straight-ahead rock sound. K-os makes an appearance on the funky "Déjà Vu," while "Why Don't You Believe Me?" is pop perfection. It would be easy to write this band off as just another in a long line of catchy Canadian indie acts, but D'arcy continues to write some truly insightful and, at times, heartbreaking tunes couched in the guise of typical indie rock. Far from the breakout stars it once looked like the group would become, Small Sins are content to settle into the role of the perpetual underdog, always full of surprises.