Just another unheard of indie rock band from Canada, right? Wrong. The Dears are definitely worth listening to, over and over again at a high volume.

End Of A Hollywood Bedtime Story, their 2000 debut, is a work of art that may take some time to sink in, but once it does, it will never leave your CD player. The Dears, who hail from Montreal, have been compared to Morrissey(former lead singer of The Smiths), and I'd say that they could be compared to Radiohead. Their sound could be described as borrowing heavily from the 70's, something that could fit into either a french nightclub or an old private eye movie.

The album starts out with the poppy sounding "C'etait Pour La Passion," with a jangly guitar and a catchy chorus ("It's not my fault/so I don't care anymore"), you know this is going to be a good listen. In "This Is A Broadcast," it starts out with an assaulting guitar riff, then falls into a sad love song.

Only one song on this album clocks in at under three minutes long, but the two longest songs, "Where The World Begins And Ends" and "There Is No Such Thing As Love" are two of the better tracks on the album. The former, at 6 minutes long, sounding much like something from the 70s, and the latter, a depressing epic that lasts 10 minutes. Wow. To some people, it might seem like it's just going on and on and on.. But if you listen to it the whole way through, it makes a lot more sense.

Overall I give the CD an A-, and I'd recommend at least downloading a few tracks. The best in my opinion are "C'estait Pour La Passion," "This Is A Broadcast," and "Where The World Begins And Ends." It'll sound good whether you're driving in your car or walking down the street, and It's definitely worth the time to download or the $12 or so to buy it. If you can find it anywhere, that is.