The Inhuman Condition

Released to little fanfare, this six-track EP was originally intended to ease Montreal native Sam Roberts into the lower echelon of Canadian rock acts, but tremendous public response to lead single "Brother Down" and its equally successful follow-up, "Don't Walk Away Eileen," instead conspired to turn The Inhuman Condition into a surprise commercial smash. Built around a circular acoustic guitar riff, rolling bassline, and summery clap track, the former instantly recalled an upbeat Jane's Addiction at the peak of their powers; with its kick-started guitars and rolling refrain, the latter demonstrated Roberts' knack for marrying potent and melodic hooks with breezy rock. As with the other four songs on the EP (of which the vaguely baggy "Where Have All the Good People Gone?" and the three-minute pogo of "This Is How I Live" stand out as highlights), there's also a refreshing air of unpretentiousness to these recordings; that Roberts is still able to hold the ear of the indie scene that spawned him in the face of his ubiquitous presence on mainstream Canadian media says volumes about his everyman likeability.