White Star Line

The elusive and strange Canadian musical curio known as White Star Line, now hailing from Southern Ontario instead of the West Coast where they began many years ago, have finally found a comfortable blanket of sound to seek solace in. For their first full-length in a handful of years, the band ventured to London's House of Miracles Studio and had Andy Magoffin record the new formation of this group, which sounds like Syd Barrett's "Bike" - subtle alternative pop mixed in with folk - in wonderfully contrasting tones that are both hi-fi and Smithsonian Folkways in nature. The vocals are very up-front, warbly and emotionally honest-sounding, like a Southern man (minus the drawl!) telling a story around a campfire. The best surprise is the melodic piece that leads one into a great cover of "Let The Sunshine In," which sets the positive tone for this great album.