Canadian act Nassau are a hybrid of Spoon and the Strokes if people use the lead-off song "Pounding in the Cave" as a measuring stick. However, there is a distinct, old-school Brit rock feeling throughout most of the album. Led by the brothers Chris McCann and Jon McCann, the song shines thanks to the sinewy guitar work and a tight rhythm section. From there, the energy grows and continues with the infectious, hook-filled "Captain" that also brings to mind Robert Pollard or Guided by Voices while "Wolves Are Crying" is another sugar-coated power pop nugget. Following a spacy "Sleep" that doesn't quite measure up, the group redeems itself with the solid, adventurous "The Water Below" that is some concoction derived from the Kinks and Edwyn Collins. Fans of early British rock with slight psychedelic hues would lap up the centerpiece "Desiree" that has an acoustic guitar and a slight Celtic folk aura to it, as if taken out of the Moody Blues repertoire. However, the album's greatest effort is the raunchy, thick, and quirky "There Are Birds" that could have been the lost track from Pink Floyd's "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn." And "Fairies" also has that Barrett-like feeling, with a nice stream of wordplay backed by a bouncy, toe-tapping melody. Things come back up to the future with "Epic Skeleton" although it still has traces of acid-trip jams veering in and out of it. The band shows their chops with the bombastic and joyful "The Perfect Place" that would make for a great set closer.
© Jason MacNeil /TiVo