Various

An incredibly charming sounding compilation of lo-fi pop, folk and rock tunes put out by this Toronto-based micro-label, which may lack in big budget sound quality but more than makes up for it in the overall quality of music. The tunes on this album are raw and simple, yet the emotional content carries weight and nostalgia. One might venture to say that the low-fi approach makes the music actually sound better, colouring tunes that might otherwise sound too naked and stripped down. Among the more emotionally weightier songs are Georgia’s "Highway Soul,” "My Cold Heart” by the Yarns and "Sleepguitar” by Toys for Elliot, which all sound like pop hits of the past. Peeler is a treasure chest of songs by bedroom lo-fi rockers conveying latent talent onto low budget recorders that is as directly touching as a crayon drawing by a five-year-old. As perverse as it sounds, I hope these artists keep their magical music this way: innocent and unsullied by something as foolish as ambition.