Fifth Hour Hero: I still can’t shake the Discount comparison. It’s especially evident on their second song, “A Map Within.” It’s strange, since Discount was from Florida and Fifth Hour Hero is Canadian; I thought accents would change the vocals up a bit more. That said, since Allison of Discount is now busy smoking cigarettes on stage in an effort to remain mysterious and changed her name to Building or Eraser or something (she’s in the Kills) and has slipped into designer jeans, Fifth Hour Hero is slowly getting more spins on my record player. Past loyalties die hard. I’m liking FHH more and more. The Sainte Catherines: take the first two Small Brown Bike albums, toss in Lemmy of Motorhead’s basic bass sensibilities, rough it up in a cement mixer for some extra dizziness, and there you have it. “The International Badminton Championship: La P’ Tite Grise Vs. Jef” is one of the best-executed songs about confused sexuality I’ve come across in a long time. Immaculate packaging, to boot.
–todd (1-2-3-4-Go!)