Hank

Hank - "Ferox"

Fans of last year's cheerleading indie rockers The Go! Team should find plenty to like in Toronto's "ever-evolving entity" Hank. The two bands share a very similar appearance and sound: an army of singers, juiced up party-inducing guitars, wacky samples, the occasional horn blast, extremely raw production and an unshakable ability to put a person in a fun mood. The most noticeable difference is that the members of Hank don't wear t-shirts that spell out their band's name (maybe only because there's not enough letters). Another distinguishing factor is that Hank actually find some time during the course of their sophomore effort, How to Prosper in the Coming Bad Years, to slow it down on a few tracks. Although it's probably good to spice things up with some variety, the uptempo numbers are still head and shoulders above the slower jams in terms of potential for pure enjoyment. "Ferox" is one of those and at two minutes and forty-four seconds, it's also the longest track in the group. The CD can be queued up and listened to in its entirety in less than a half-hour, which I've learned does nothing but cry out for one to click that little 'repeat' button and run through it all again. Genius. Hey, all you A.D.D. kids, here's some audio ritalin for you.

That would have been a nice note to end on, but I absolutely must take a second to mention the wonderful handmade packaging: Hank-member Paige Gratland made envelopes and sleeves for every single copy of How to Prosper... - I think only 500 were pressed - using nothing but old magazine cutouts and a foil stamp. Snag one of these beauties for yourself over at Insound or The Blue House (before it's out-of-print).

P.S. - Oh, Canada, does your well of stellar musical collectives ever run dry? I'm beginning to think not.