The Consumption

Pro: “Too Beautiful to Work” (the album’s title track) is just about the best four minutes of indie pop I’ve heard this year. It’s exactly what you would hope for from a popped-up version of Torngat (french horn and organ man Pietro Amato is in that Montreal three-piece) and Belle Orchestre (Amato again and drummer Stefan Schneider). The constant, just-askew pulse of the main rhythm makes for an irresistible hook, and Jessie Stein’s unadorned voice suits the simple three-note melody to a tee.

The album’s other best pop moments (“Cold Canada,” the brief, loungey “I Need Mirrors”) don’t quite live up to that opener, but they’ve got enough ebb and flow that they stand as mini-epics on their own. And the instrumentation is almost ridiculously varied (electric zither?), which gives the album a texture all its own.

Con: Outside of those three tracks, nothing really sticks the way it should. It’s like my experience with Brasstronaut last year – whenever I hear these songs, I realize that I really dig them, but when they aren’t playing, I forget they exist. Not everything needs hooks, mind you – and the quieter moments here are impressive in their own right – but I could’ve stood for more teeth on this one.

Verdict: One killer song, two pretty great ones and seven that are decent but fleeting. The Luyas probably have a Polaris pick in them, but I don’t think this album is it.