This album is typical of music presently produced in Toronto. In twenty years time, when someone’s teenaged son or daughter wants to know what people listened to circa 2006, Lake Holiday’s The Curse of Sunshine will certainly appear on some sort of Top Five. After all, it very carefully follows the blueprint that most bands have been building their careers on in this city for the past five years or so. From the heavy lashings of eighties-style synthesizer to the bittersweet boy-girl harmonizing and, finally, the telling appearance of an influential musical peer (in this case, Gentleman Reg), this recording is chock-full of new clichés. Indeed, this very overwhelming display of good taste and breeding tends to actually backfire upon the band in the end. Everything here sounds just a bit too bland, a bit too safe and a bit too calculated to really leave a lasting impression– a shame when one considers the very talented musicians involved in making this album. A few rough edges wouldn’t go amiss next time round. (Karyn Bonham)
CD, Teen Steam USA www.lakeholiday.net