Ford Pier — Organ Farming

Ford Pier is a master of disguise. This six-song EP, his first of two discs this year, begins with a sound that's unmistakably akin to They Might Be Giants, as he quickly shifts from straight-up rock to plainly weird howling. By the album's midpoint, things change even more drastically, with the music moving from ska to Hawksley Workman-esque ballad to grinding, White Stripes-like guitar romp. Pier has played in just about every band in Canada at one time or another, which may explain why he's been able to pick up and amalgamate so many different styles. Though he may come off as lacking a sound of his own, his identity crisis never seems to get bothersome. There's a fine line between kitschy and cool, and Organ Farming manages to stay just north of hip.