Love and War

Sounding like Brit-pop meets Elephant 6, it's kind of surprising to hear that the Pets are from Strinbach, Manitoba. Layering vocals, guitars, organ, piano, and various samples, the four songwriters create complicated soundscapes that sound amazing, but occasionally they become a little too kitschy for their own good and the fact that this is a debut disc shines through, as on "Vika." It's hard to categorize the Pets into just one category, but the typical power pop influences — the Beatles, the Beach Boys — can certainly be heard throughout. The Apples in Stereo-esque "Wind Blows Through Your Hair" is certainly a highlight, along with the loungey "A Lighthearted Lovesong," and the very Pet Sounds-inspired "Lately in the Shade." And then there's "Cycle of Tyranny" — an eight-minute-and-30-second mini sound picture describing aspects of the record industry from several points of view. After creating this amazing pop spectacle, the Pets only played five live shows before Chris Peters left for Japan to teach English. Sadly, this leaves the band up in the air and their future unknown. Hopefully we'll see more from them in the future.