My Friends

Canada's Paper Lions make 21st-century pop music that claims allegiance to The Beach Boys and other classic '60s groups with sunny dispositions. Yet while this is true when one listens closely to the harmonies, what comes out through the production is a bright pop sound closer to Talking Heads and Ben Folds Five—especially considering the upbeat, jittery, and modernly danceable rhythms. The intricate guitar playing throughout "Sandcastles" and "Pull Me In" and the showtune-pop vocals of John MacPhee are in a class of their own. An airy yet symphonic pop song like "My Friend" has as many roots in '80s new wave as anything from two decades prior. David Cyrus MacDonald's drums slash through the gentler keyboard weaves of "Ghostwriters" and add great tension to the closer-to-'50s-rock vibe of "So Lonely." The bonus track "Sophomore Slump" pokes fun at the band with the album's best song, one less produced and sounding most like their beloved Beach Boys. Figuring out who Paper Lions are turns out to be most of the fun.