Cardona lighthearted and forgettable

There’s a specific sound coming from the Canadian folk rock scene—there must be something in the water here that affects vocal chords and songwriting ability.

That’s not to say that what’s coming out is bad, it’s all just very similar. Take the Windsor, Ont. folk rock band Michou, a quartet of good, soulful Canadian boys.

Michou’s newest album Cardona, to be released in stores July 13, is as infectious as it is cliché. With simple rhymes and catchy tunes, it’s no wonder this album hit XM Radio’s top spot on The Grocery List countdown, or that their video for “Growing Younger” topped MuchMusic’s Top 10 video countdown.

Vocalist Mike Hargreaves displays a talent for the heartfelt singing that teenage girls (and their moms) go gaga for, but haven’t we heard it before? Hargreaves could be Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard’s younger brother, they sound so similar—they’re both Canadian too.

Cardona is certainly easy on the ears. Songs like “Growing Younger” and “Summer Night” make for good summer listeners. In fact, the whole album consists of similar sounding material, nothing groundbreaking but likeable nonetheless. Their music videos, however, leave something to be desired. Both “Growing Younger” and “Eavesdropping” feature the band, led by Hargreaves, riding bicycles down a dirt road in the former and walking through a balloon-filled corridor in the latter—that’s all.

Michou will enjoy success, as they’ve already proven, but it’s hard to say they will go on as a memorable band; gauging by their lack of creativity, this might be exactly what they’re going for.

Cardona is great for summer drives to the beach, or as background music for your barbecue. But if you forgot they existed on your iTunes playlist don’t worry about it. . . there are better songs to be listened to.