Inward Eye Release EP

It's become a running joke in the music business that Winnipeg mod rockers Inward Eye were a great live band who would never release an album, despite signing with J Records when they were still teenagers three years ago.

But the sibling trio issued a long-awaited, self-titled EP through iTunes in the U.S. on Nov. 18, which isn't yet available through iTunes in Canada.

A heavily hyped Canadian band very quietly releasing a download-only EP in the U.S. sounds kind of ominous. Like when film distributors don't allow critics to screen a movie in advance, it makes you think that the product could be pretty stinky.

But you can judge for yourself since the EP's four songs — "Shame," "Blind Paranoia," "You Know I Know" and "Times They Aren't A Changin'" — can be heard on Inward Eye's MySpace page.

Singer/bassist Dave, guitarist/vocalist Kyle and Keith Moon-reincarnated drummer Anders Erickson have opened for their heroes The Who a number of times, and music industry legend Clive Davis requested a personal showcase before signing the band to J.

Let's hope that Inward Eye live up to the early expectations they built for themselves with their electrifying performances. All the trips they've made to California to record the debut album that still hasn't arrived couldn't have been cheap.