Sinclaire

Not all post-punk/emo bands are alike. This Toronto "two guitars, bass, and drums" foursome may not have the following or notice of their celebrated American counterparts, but they are better than most of them. Sinclaire can be faulted for a lack of fresh approach: None of the seven tracks stray far from the increasingly rigid (growing more narrow) post-punk/emo M.O. The singing is always that half-sung/half-shouted angst thing, as if only one emotion could be "emo," and nothing about the writing and arrangements distinguishes them from their peers other than some delicately picked guitar instrumental sections. What gets Sinclaire over the hump is the muscular playing, the hot production, and, actually, the vocalist — despite the limited range of personality. He and they sound a lot like the fiery Pete Stahl and his band Scream circa 1985's This Side Up. The coda on "The Wind Is the Sound of the Crying" is particularly relentless, the sort of real abandon and transcendence that holds promise for the future. These Canadians can flat out play, and if this had been released on Dischord Records between 1983 and 1988, we'd be knocked out. For now it's titillating, all the potential. (P.O. Box 57347, Hamilton, ON, L8P 4X2, Canada; jerks@sonicunyon.com)