Rating: NNNN
This debut album by the British Columbians is so clear in its vision and spot-on in its execution that we wonder why we’ve never heard a peep about them until now. Hailing from various places near and around Vancouver – Fort Langley, Surrey, Port Moody – the four-piece mixes gritty blues-rock with sleazy classic rock and throws in some softer folk, too.
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The rock songs are built around tough, slinky guitar riffs and singer/guitarist Girard Knox’s badass voice, which can reach great heights and is most effective when enhanced by distorted microphones. Hoodoo and Gasoline Handshake nod to Led Zep and the White Stripes, while a jaunty, bluesy banjo fuels Bye Bye Marie. There’s also Rolling Tide, a six-minute sax-drenched instrumental jam that some (me!) will want to skip over. Still, a polished, promising debut.
Top track: Gasoline Handshake
The British Columbians play the El Mocambo June 20 as part of NXNE.
