Sinclaire – s/t
(Sonic Unyon)

If you have seen any emo or indie rock shows in Toronto this past year, then odds are you saw Sinclaire open the show. This is a re-release of a cd they put out in 1998 (with two bonus tracks), and let me tell you, this album is so emo it hurts.

A healthy diet of Get Up Kids, Promise Ring and Hum have obviously shaped Sinclaire’s sound, and while they don’t really put forth anything original, but they still manage to sound fresh, honest and exciting.

The music jumps from mellow and heartfelt to aggressive and angst-ridden. The guitars are light and dreamy sounding at times, other times they are loud and searing. The singing is melodic and emotional, the lyrics are poetic and abstract. Sinclaire are not afraid to throw some piano into the mix (check out the song “Tin”) and they aren’t afraid to stretch out some of their songs (check out the eight and a half minute epic “The Wind Is The Sound Of The Crying”).

A lot of the songs sound the same and follow the same basic structure, but with only five songs (plus two bonus tracks), it doesn’t get tiresome. If anything, this EP leaves you wanting more. Let’s hope the full length isn’t too far off. — Sean