Canada Rules!

It really does, and I think all the anti-canuck sentiments we have flying around are really just jealous attempts to counteract the awesomeness that is Northern America. Case in point - Braintoy (you thought I was going to say something cliched like Arcade Fire or maple syrup or Tim Hortons, weren't you?! Ha!)

Braintoy is not some new Nintendo DS game, but a 4 piece hailing from Toronto, Canada. Vehicles, a strong contender for a slot in my top 20 releases of 2008 is a great prog rock record - accessible due in part to its energetic and soaring vocals and solid instrumentation (which you would expect from any prog band worth their pretentious song titles and epic(ly long) songs. The title track is an excellent introduction to the band, one that is sure to keep you interested and get you excited to see what else these Canadians are capable of. 

Listing influences like Porcupine Tree and Tool, one can trace the bands idols to their brand of post rock - the atmospheric stylings of Steven Wilson and the simple yet effective guitar lines of Adam Jones seem to be channeled, but in a way that is uniquely Braintoy - there's no blatant plagiarism here, just a familiarity that will comfort listeners and solidify Braintoy's place among the contemporaries they so revere. 

Check out the title track, Vehicles, on their myspace and check out the next big Canadian export. (a whole post on a Canadian

 band without any jokes about the Canadian accent!) Sounds you'll hear: Tristan Green's awesome vocals, keyboards, some electronics, punchy distorted guitar, a calm number named Banyan Tree and just proggy goodness (but not in the 'Camel' sense mind you - I'd say its more along the lines of a Coheed and Cambria sans the mighty Claudio Sanchez's vocals and sci fi concept story.) Either way, I'm having a hard time describing them, so do me and yourself a favor and check them out!