Quick, Before It Melts.

Hey Rosetta! hail from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. I don't think I've ever heard of a band from Canada's youngest province, although I know it has a rich musical tradition and history, so my curiosity was partly geographically inspired when I gave their latest release, Into Your Lungs (and around in your heart and on through your blood) a spin the other day. The other part of my curiosity was based on news that the band had won the Verge XM52 Album of the Year award from XM Satellite Radio, which came with a $25000 cheque. The award was based on fan voting, winning out over the likes of Tegan & Sara and Born Ruffians. Needless to say, I wanted to know what the fuss was all about.

When it comes down to the nitty gritty, Hey Rosetta! can either be a loud band that plays pretty when they're quiet, or a quiet band that can rock the stadium when they crank their amps up past 11. It's an impressive dynamic when at first you hear the lead track, " New Goodbye," a classic post rock anthem in-the-making. The song begins with a finger plucked guitar intro and Tim Baker's breathy vocals (he sounds a lot like Rolf Klausener of The Acorn to me). Slowly but surely the layers and sonic textures get added, so that at about 2:00 minutes in the song takes off at full-speed and at full band strength with Josh Ward (bass), Adam Hogan (lead guitar), and Phil Maloney (drums), Kinley Dowling (violin), and Romesh Thavanathan (cello) at the controls. By 3:20 the song seems to head straight for the stratosphere with a heady sing-along mid-section that ultimately blasts off into a fuzzy haze of feedback and static.

Impressive stuff. Unfortunately, the shine on "New Goodbye" starts to tarnish a bit as the subsequent 11 tracks ply on the same formula. What Hey Rosetta! does they do well, but they also do it too often to sustain itself across an entire album. I've yet to check out their previous release, the seven-song, Plan Your Escape EP, but Id be interested to see if things may be different. Into Your Lungs was produced by Hawksley Workman, and is worth a listen. Hey Rosetta! have a reputation for being an impressive live band, so if the opportunity arises to check them out, I'm sure it'll be worth it. They'll be at POP Montreal this weekend, CMJ later in the month, and a smattering of Ontario dates throughout the fall.

MP3: Hey Rosetta! "New Goodbye"
Video: Hey Rosetta! "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Myspace: Hey Rosetta!
Facebook: Hey Rosetta!