Yukon Blonde

Why new bands feel the need to associate themselves with classic rock clichés is something I'll never understand. Whoever wrote Yukon Blonde's bio thinks they sound like Supertramp, Fleetwood Mac and America. It was almost enough for me to banish the disc from my premises forever. Luckily, I put it on anyway. While there is a pronounced '70s vibe to this ten-track full-length debut from the Vancouver, BC quartet, it exists predominantly in the sparkling jangle of Jeff Innes and Brandon Scott's guitars, as well as the pair's spot-on harmonies. Their melodic sense is definitely light years ahead of many other Canadian indie pop upstarts, and the richly textured production by Shawn Cole (Bend Sinister, You Say Party! We Say Die!) is stellar. With most guitar bands nowadays tending toward arena-sized aggression or conversely, an intentionally unorthodox approach, the nuances that Yukon Blonde employ are utterly refreshing, and more compelling with each listen. This could be the finest Canadian pop rock album by anyone other than the New Pornographers since Sloan's Twice Removed.