When it comes to Sam Roberts, he and his band are like gourmet cheese: they get better with age. Their first album, BROTHER DOWN, didn’t really showcase anything spectacular, but people loved them because they were a new Canadian band, and we Canadians feel the need to support Canadian talent, no matter how mediocre the quality. Their third album, WE WERE BORN IN A FLAME was a step up, and come fifth album LOVE AT THE END OF THE WORLD, they finally got it.
Today, they’re releasing their sixth studio album, COLLIDER, and once again, they’ve raised the bar. Roberts’ unique voice blended with the backup vocals creates a beautifully mellow sound, specifically on tracks like “Without a Map” and “Sang Friod”.
While it is a step up from their last album, there’s still room for improvement. By about the fifth song in, the album gets a redundant and repetitive. The songs more suited for an iPod playlist than played back to back on the full album, but that’s naturally how most people listen to music nowadays anyways (MP3’s killed the CD star).
Has Sam Roberts produced a summer anthem? No, but the simple, folksy sounds of COLLIDER are perfect for a summer picnic, bonfire, garage sale, patio BBQ, sunbathing, basically any relaxing summer activity. (Universal Music Canada) – 3.5/5
BEST OF THE ALBUM:
“The Last Crusade”
“Without a Map”
“Let It In”
“Sang Froid”