Style: Wide-ranging indie rock; compare to The Arcade Fire, mewithoutYou
Top tracks: “All Is All,” “Sweetest Kill,” “Chase Scene”
The beating heart of this sprawling Canadian musical collective’s fourth album can be found right in its title. As conceived by the band’s co-leaders Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning along with producer John McEntire (Tortoise, The Sea & Cake), it beautifully captures the sheer breadth of the modern indie rock scene, smearing some songs with an electronic sheen and letting others breathe with fire and raw energy. Thematically, the band focuses on absolution, tackling everything from childhood abuses (“Ungrateful Little Father”) to the varied affairs of the heart as seen through both male and female eyes. (Content warning: There is some foul language on this particular song.) It too often toes the line of sprawling and unfocused, but in that expanse lies an undeniable ambition alongside some amazing songs.
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