War of the Wakening Phantoms
Although hailing from the francophone Montreal, the High Dials sound like pure first-wave British invasion with their close breathy harmonies, dreamy pop collages and intelligent wordplay. In fact anything onWars Of the Wakening Phantoms, their mystically-titled second album could have been lifted from some lost Kinks sessions, if they morphed into the late career Flaming Lips without anyone being the wiser, right down to the high-minded philosophy couched in deceptively beautiful psychedelia and the smart, sardonic asides. This time out the Canadian quintet abandoned both their mod retro aesthetic and the concept album approach of 2003'sNew Devotion" for a more enigmatic song suite where the phantoms of the title aren't the kind that go bump in the night, but are the ghosts of lost love and innocence. If nothing else, this record is a compelling journey through heartbreak.--Jaan Uhelszki