You’ll find that what makes Lasting Distractions different than many other alt-rock records is simply the size of its sound. I had to check twice after opening the liner notes and seeing only three guys. While they feature some additional players throughout the album, the band’s disproportionately large sound – influenced by similarly huge-sounding bands like Radiohead and U2 – is still centred around heavy melodies on piano or guitar and throbbing drums. The opening track, Thousand Pieces, starts off big, booming and stadium ready, and the rest of the album is exceedingly well put together for a debut effort. Brian Healy, in charge of vocals and keys, is the driving force behind most songs. He sings with his heart in his throat, and his power chords like those on the single All We Want structure some of the album’s best tracks. As Canadians with a radio-friendly sound, look to hear more of Elias on airwaves near you. Catch Elias live Monday, Jan. 31 at the Burton Cummings Theatre.

Published in Volume 65, Number 17 of The Uniter (January 27, 2011)