Golden Dogs

If the current Toronto, ON indie rock scene has a unified sound, the Golden Dogs dutifully represent it. Back when Broken Social Scene were still trying to be a post-rock band, the Golden Dogs were busy crafting their brand of bubbling pop rock later embraced by T.O. homies Jason Collett and Zeus. On songs like "Darkroom" and "Permanent Record," vocalist Dave Azzolini's delivery comes off much more forceful and anxious, as the rhythm section pull off another parlour room backbeat. Keyboardist Jessica Grassia takes on a larger role, as her sugar-encrusted vocals complement the fizzy production sound, courtesy of Carlin Nicholson and Mike O'Brien (of Zeus). As songs like "Weapon," with its locked eyed chorus, and "Lester," with its conservative "oohs" and "ahhs," the Golden Dogs remain unafraid to sound like a regular indie rock band, most likely because they do it so well.