Tusks

The members of Toronto's Tusks are a busy bunch, doing double-duty with roles in The Wooden Stars, Sea Snakes, Hilotrons, I Am Robot & Proud and others. It would seem Kepler's Samir Kahn is the band's mastermind — he's credited in the liner notes for having come up with the disc's "Fragile teenage poetry." Snailhouse mastermind Mike Feuerstack is namedropped on the EP's interior as well and it's easy to see why — several of these six songs would fit comfortably into his repertoire. Tusks veers away from that Snailhouse sound when the four-piece begins to toss some rather adept electric guitar work into the mix. This is a decent first effort but it's lacking sheen — something to make the songs pop into three-dimensions. Tusks are certainly an inoffensive listen, but they're quickly forgotten.