My Divider

But, really, my first impression was the one that matters - Dinosaur Bones are a more Canadian - and less lively - version of The Whigs, but with an added layer of cool guy drone. It all works just fine, the result being a record that would've done very well on college radio in 1998, back when cool was still cool and fuzz wasn't always a click away. The non-typical element of sound here (for pseudo-garage stoners, that is), a keyboard, works well enough, though at times it distracts from the faux lo-fi fuzziness more than it aides it. Ben Fox, the singer and lead guitarist, has his eye on American pubs, writing the kind of late night songs the hipster kids love to hear after a few very expensive craft beers wear off - the kind of songs they play at places like The Indie Lounge, made perfect for post-Das Racist dance-offs.

Me? Well, I can't call this a bad record, but hearing it after watching Another Year, a film about both happiness and unhappiness towards the end of life, made for a strange juxtaposition. My Divider is the kind of record that young guys make - and listen to - and feel is important. It's also the kind of record that older ears (29+, in rock terms) find overly derivative and, at best, a form of pleasant nostalgia. While the songs are generally pleasing and Fox and friends seem to have good intentions, My Divider just isn't the kind of record that will last. It's New Era bar band music, sans the strange appeal of bands like The Hold Steady and The Black Lips. But hey, today's youth generation (mostly kids who hear everything and get to know almost nothing) may just love it. You know, in between Tweets, then on to the next new thing. As always, thanks for the effort, Canada, but The Whigs (an already incredibly ignored band) have it covered. 6/10

Written by G. William Locke