(A) War of the Wakening Phantoms (The High Dials, July 12)
Grade: A
Oh, when will my love for Canadian bands end? Here is another promising group from Montreal whose second album is a lovely, upbeat pop offering. The group formed after the demise of the Datsons (not to be confused with New Zealand rock group Datsuns) and already have a lot of good buzz. Rightly so.

(A) Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking? (The Like, Sept. 13)
Grade: B
I still am amazed that these girls are so young, considering the maturity of their sound. It’s like singer Z Berg is a 30-year-old in a teenage girl’s body. This debut is decent, regardless of their age, and thankfully the band has realized it’s no longer cute to name every release with their band name in it (i.e. I Like the Like, Like It or Not). It’s only when they chat that I find them difficult to listen to ... after all, there’s only so much giggling I can take.

For Nada Surf fans, here’s an interview I did with drummer Ira Elliot.