Canadian Tuxedo

While the album cover sports a look reminiscent of the Ramones, these women have more in common with Le Tigre and the Go Go’s. Guitars clang and rage as much as any garage band's, but the songs themselves have more ... curves, if you will, with a softer pop finish, rather than a razor sharp edge. Singer/guitarist Eden Fineday’s vocals are a cross between Kathleen Hanna’s (Le Tigre) and the sugary tones of Belinda Carlisle (the Go Go’s), and the songs offer enough to chew on and dance to at the same time. Vancougar’s lyrics are clever and personal, and Fineday’s vocals are mixed up front enough that you can feel her regret when she rolls out lines like, “I met you the day after my brother died / I guess I should have taken that as a sign ...”  Keyboards, courtesy Megan Johnson, lend the songs a perky, sweet and sour lining, and they mesh perfectly with Fineday’s aggressive guitar work. Standout moments include the p.o.’d “Vanity” and “Distance,” with their dangerously racing pulses; the maniacally jangly “Phone Calls;” and the great choruses on “Every Car” and “Philadelphia.” The absolutely must-have track is “Obvious,” a sweet, catchy number that could have been done by a punk Marvelettes back in the ‘60s.