Mass Romantic

#54 Seller of 2005! Features Destroyer leader Dan Bejar, here second-in-command to Carl Newman, (singer/lyricist of Superconductor and Zumpano), with guest vocals by Neko Case (ex-Maow, current Corn Sister, also makes solo albums), plus John Collins (Smugglers/Evaporators), and two other guys no one outside of Canada has heard of. What we're saying here is: This is talented collection of rock musicians. There was a bit of label bidding war for this release, because "just about every last three-minute thrill-pop epic on the fantastic Mass Romantic album sounds like money in the bank. They've managed to bring together the most commercial elements of early-'80s new wave with an avant-glam blast of vintage Roxy Music and T-Rex boogie for a shout-along sound that has eluded both Weezer and Guided by Voices." --Tim Perlich