Co-Op Mode
- Royal Canoe
- Head in the Sand
It has a quirky, half-baked feel - the larky band name, the risk-taking material, the vaguely ironic falsettos, trebly guitars and synthesizers - but Winnipeg's Royal Canoe sails more than it sinks. A side project of Matt Peters (of the Waking Eyes), Co-Op Mode thrives on a few sharp-dressed tracks marked by unique characters and a sense of tuneful theatricality. The sombre Bowie-ness of Fabulous Mess couples "Do you still love Frederic Chopin?" with "Do you still dream about being a woman?" Me Loving Your Money is wry brilliance. And Kasparov is a love letter to a chess master from the move-making computer Super Blue. It all comes down to finding one's mate.
Royal Canoe plays Ottawa on Thursday; Montreal, Friday; and Toronto, Saturday.