Various

The hardworking folks behind Toronto's newest baby label/collective have released their long-awaited debut compilation, and it's spilling over with talent and integrity. Starting off with two commendable instrumental tracks from the similarly named Weights & Measures and Kitchens & Bathrooms, the real opener is From Fiction's best-dressed, least deranged song, "Riel." A handful of North America's (including North of America) finest indie rock acts, of both teeny tiny popularity and bigger names, of sub-genres from soft pop balladry to near-hardcore freak-out, fill up the rest. Lou Barlow (the grandpa of this family) contributes his hard-to-find, modest "None of Your Goddamn Bizness.” One Candle Power's softly catchy, nearly addictive "Ceci N'est Pas Une Fille," and the Creeping Nobodies' "Cold Hands" stand out enough to keep you coming back, humming their tune to yourself before you can even press play again. Wintersleep, from the next-door-neighbour Dependent label, send out another heart-hitting, memorable track, and Brantford's the Vermicious Knid will rouse you from that blissful melody-induced coma with their swinging and evocative "Every Bear's Life Guide." There is not a misstep on this release. Important, stimulating, and fresh things are all to come from this love-in lineage.