Don't be put off by the name. Though they had come up with it long before the creation of the awful chick-flick of the same name, it comes across as rather fitting on the band's debut LP "Meet Me at the Muster Station. Paul Saulnier, the duo's vocalist, writes lyrics that are often drowned out by his hyper-distorted wall of guitar. When they are discernible, they are hopelessly romantic, almost corny, though in the context of Saulnier's yelping vocal style, they feel right at home. The album begins with this theme on the opening title track, before taking on a more pensive mood on the next two tracks, "Breadends" and "2012". The latter is actually a standout on the record, flowing nicely between a catchy, angular guitar riff and a deep verse soaked in distortion.
The record loses some momentum in the middle section. With the exception of the lumbering "Butterflies and Boners", the four tracks making up the core of the album are pretty forgettable. This is all rectified on "Facelove", the band's first single. The corny lyrical themes take centre-stage again, as Saulnier crafts a catchy vocal melody for the song's first half before digressing into fuzz-laden guitar heroics to rival the legendary J Mascis for the rest of the track. This ends up being the album's high point, though the closing tracks ease the listener out of one of the year's strongest Canadian releases.
8/10
