This is a great debut LP from a Toronto foursome (no relation to the U.K. band a decade ago, Coast) following up a 2006 teaser EP. Before you start whispering big names of the Canadian Explosion, such as
Arcade Fire or
Broken Social Scene, the only thing these boys have in common is the likelihood of early
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Cure,
Teardrop Explodes,
Siouxsie and the Banshees, or
U2 records somewhere in their collections, as the guitar effects and influences are there. But
the Coast also work in bits of wonderfully warming dream pop (somewhere between
Strangelove and
For Against), closer to the
Stars or
Dears end of modern Canuck things. They also boast first-rate songwriting, slow-developing passages that really reel you in, budding star Ian Fosbery's fantastic guitars (which come from everywhere), and singing from Ben Spurr that matches every ear-catching thing Fosbery and the punchy bass and drums brothers Luke and Jordan Melchiorre do. If that isn't all, there are gentle winds blowing, too, adding different spice on the likes of "Song for Gypsy Rose Lee" and "Play Me the Apostle," showing they understand pacing (another lost art these days). Frankly,
the Coast sound exciting on
Expatriate, a band that could fill big halls in breathtaking sonic vistas on this holy headphones LP. Turn it up and revel in alpine heights. ~ Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover