Allegedly, Zach Gray isn’t, of the material off The Zolas’ first record, especially fond. But there’s good stuff on there. Catchy choruses aplenty, melodies for days. The band ditched the extremely piano-heavy sound on subsequent records, which isn’t to say it doesn’t work here. If you will – if you will – indulge The Zolas’ ‘Pyramid Scheme’.

The Armchair Cynics were a band from Victoria, BC. They released a well-received 7-song record, Killing the Romance, in 2005, and another, the indie-touched Starting Today, in 2010 before breaking up. Killing the Romance is a bit butt-rocky, but it’s a solid rock record. If you lived anywhere on the island or lower mainland, it felt impossible to switch the radio on without hearing ‘Bang’ (a song about a handjob). I won’t be linking that one, however, rather ‘Surprise Ending’, which, after a recent re-listen, became my big pick off the record.