No Hits 7.11.05

Bonhomie (mp3) - The Telepathic Butterflies

The Cutting Elm (mp3) - The Telepathic Butterflies

Arguably, even the most inept band can write a catchy-as-hell pop song once in its career. Listen to enough Beatles, Beach Boys, Kinks, Creation, what have you, and you can probably fake a good chorus, if not snag a nice verse and bridge. (Hey, Oasis had a good run of it.) It's repeating the feat and making it consistently convincing that's tricky. But Montreal's Telepathic Butterflies seem to be doing just that.

I don't think this music will set the world on fire. But what I've heard of the band impresses me mightily. These guys have obviously pulled allnighters cramming their rock history, particularly the British Invasion and psychedelia chapters. Yet they're not musty archivists. They make something fresh with their punchy power chords, snappy percussion and energetic raveup choruses. Though the lyrics can err on the side of misty nostalgia, there's nothing twee here; this stuff really rocks. I couldn’t choose between the two tracks from the band’s latest album offered on the Rainbow Quartz site. They’re both songs of the week.

So whoever’s taking tally—yet another good band from Canada. Speaking of which, brilliant, deceased Montreal act The Unicorns is resurrected, sort of, as Islands. Fingertips offers a taste. The track didn’t immediately grab me, but then, I’m a simple pop girl. That blog's also got something from Get Him Eat Him. If lead guy Matt LeMay’s name sounds familiar, it’s probably because you read too much Pitchfork. All I can say is it seems risky to both shovel for The Fork and front a band. Glass houses and all that.

More Telepathic Butterflies from Introducing The Telepathic Butterflies:

Mr. Laughabee's Circus (mp3)

Sunshine Radio (mp3)

Yearbook (mp3)