The Acorn — Glory Hope Mountain

The Acorn, one of the latest additions to the Paper Bag love-in, play music that's arty, opaque and challenging, on the whole. Their Glory Hope Mountain full-length features a bevy of guest stars from in and around their hometown of Ottawa (including various Wooden Stars and Fiftymen) and, while not for the casual listener, the album moslty succeeds at its aims. Those aims include keeping things mellow and allowing vocalist Rolf Klausener to excise his personal views on life, love and things of that nature. Their closest parallel is probably Great Lake Swimmers and, much like that outfit, the music works best when you're looking to unwind, preferably in a dimly lit room. The mid-range chug of "Broken Legs" is probably the closest you'll get to a riff rocker, making Glory Hope Mountain a mound of restraint more than anything.