Canada

This seven-piece eclectic entourage is no stranger to those of us here in the United States. The band hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and you won’t find any Mounties, hockey players or hosers here. Canada is no more Canadian than Toronto native Neil Young trying to pass as an American, with his woeful anti-war protests. However, the band’s name may stem from folky roots and a woodsy demeanor — the kind of music that makes you want to pitch a tent in the wilderness and watch for caribou, moose, and beavers. Since its 2004 inception in a small basement lit by crystal chandeliers, Canada has transformed itself from a group of friends who just jammed together to an amplified tour de force. This Canadian front is multifaceted and heavily instrumental, with dreamy glockenspiel, rousing trombones and long, sad drags on the cello. Overall, Canada may remind those of us out West of big-beat experimental rock connoisseurs like Menomena — music that takes you for a walk on the wild side (by way of the woods, of course). Now on tour in support of its debut album, This Cursed House, Canada is sure to deliver an eh-plus performance, Arcade Fire-style.