More Than Any Other Day
These Montreal punk upstarts establish their own sound right on their debut album – they're young men in love with their own misery, taking out all their frustrations on their instruments, until every guitar strum feels like a full-blown emotional breakdown. Lead yelper Tim Beeler commands your attention all through the six minutes of "Habit," sounding like David Byrne staring at his own reflection in the bottom of a glass, wondering how it all went so wrong so fast. Yet in the power-drone rave finale, "Gemini," he dares to keep his hopes alive, vowing, "I retain the right to be absolutely mystified." And the Pere Ubu-like drive of the band lives up to every word.