Volcanoless in Canada, The Way Forward (Self-released)

WHO

Radio-friendly Saskatoon quintet.

DISCOGRAPHY

Volcanoless in Canada (Self-released, 2006)
The Way Forward (Self-released, 2009)

IN A NUTSHELL

If there's any justice in the world, The Way Forward will make Volcanoless in Canada one of the biggest bands in the country...and beyond.

THE STORY

As anyone who has read this blog for any length of time has probably noticed, I've long been saying that Saskatchewan is the next great hotbed of talent, the city (well, province) that's suddenly going to have a "scene" that everyone tries to get a piece of. And, obviously, thus far that hasn't come to pass; as far as I know, there aren't really any places talking about the "SK Sound", or playing up a rivalry between Saskatoon and Regina. 

Having said all that, and recognizing it as a cautionary tale against making predictions of this sort, I'm still going to say this: if any band is going to put Saskatchewan on the map, musically-speaking, it'll be Volcanoless in Canada. It's not that they're any better than any of those other bands (I'd probably put them behind, say, Rah Rah and Library Voices, but ahead of Polymaths and Ultimate Power Duo), but rather, they're by far the most accessible band I've ever heard out of the province.

For that matter, they're one of the catchiest, most accessible bands I've ever heard, period. I've been searching my brain to figure out who Volcanoless in Canada remind me of, and -- apart from brief moments where I thought the answer might be Fall Out Boy or Panic! At The Disco -- I really can't think of who it is. In large part, I guess, this is because the world isn't exactly overflowing with dancefloor-friendly rock bands whose primary instrument is acoustic guitar (three of them, in fact). 

And part of it may just be that The Way Forward is filled with songs that are so instantly catchy that they just sound like you've heard them countless times before. I mean, take a song like "Mexican Circus (March To The Holly Dome)". It's got a pretty simple melody, but it's so irresistably fun that it's hard to not want to dance the moment it comes on. Further, the same could be said for any number of songs here, from "Make Up Your Mind (Rm. 5)" to "Forevermore (Wah! Oh!)" to "Invincible (Charmed)". This is just one of those albums from which any song could conceivably be dropped into the playlist of any music-playing outlet in North America, and it would not only sound like it fit in, it would also stand out.

Obviously, that's not something everything will enjoy. There are some people who just have an aversion to hooks (as is obvious to anyone who read the Metric comments in this year's Hottest Bands poll). But for everyone else...I have a feeling that this time, I'm going to be right when I say that Volcanoless in Canada are going to be huge, for the simple reason that The Way Forward is guaranteed to stick in your head forever.