Ever since the Winter Olympics, it seems like Canada got cool again. To keep the ball rolling, one of their national treasures, Barenaked Ladies (they play the Fox on May 22), has released maybe its best album yet. It almost didn’t happen, as founding members Ed Robertson and Steven Page — friends since grade school in Toronto — split a year ago. Robertson, however, didn’t give up on his 22-year-old band — which, if you’ve ever met a Canadian, you’ll know is a “really big deal in Canada, eh?”
This is masterfully polished pop filled with download-worthy tracks like “You Run Away,” “Ordinary” and “How Long.” For lovers of BNL’s off-the-wall sense of humor, there’s “Jerome” (about the Arizona mining camp) and “Four Seconds” (with the chorus of “One Mississippi! Two Mississippi! Three Mississippi! Four!”). Another gold for the Canadians.
DOWNLOAD: “Every Subway Car”
