Reverbed guitar goodness

This duo rising out of Montreal could eventually create as much hype as our beloved Japandroids, but they have quite a ways to go. Xavier Germain-Poitras‰’ reverbed and distorted guitar playing pounds away constantly in all ten songs. Although we all love the fuzziness of a solid noise rock tune, it seems to backfire a bit in this album. The vocals can at times become lost, as the tempo stays consistently fast failing to give the listeners any sort of break or diversity. The first two tracks of the album are a little dull, but don‰’t give up on the album until you give “Traces‰” and “Haze Away‰” a listen. “Haze Away‰” is a beacon of hope, which can keep us optimistic about this young band‰’s future. Where the vocals may be lacking in other songs, they are made up for in this track. As they sing, “take this haze away,‰” it feels as though the droning and static guitar riffs are collapsing all around them. Once the vocals fade out, there are harmonized solos vibrating from the strings of the guitar, capitalizing the vocals. There are a lot of really great moments in this album, if you can find them though the fuzz.

RIYL: Japandroids, Cloud Nothings, No Age
Recommended Tracks: 3, 4, 6, 7