Cover of Woodhands' January 2010 album "Remorsecapade"

Admittedly, this week’s addition of Tuesday Tracks a little Toronto-centric. Generally, we like to ensure the cream rises from coast to coast, but the three songs selected this week were so strong it would have been tragic to bump any one of them even for a week. However, while the homebase may be Southern Ontario, the styles expand well beyond and this crop of music truly transcends physical location.

First up: “Dissembler” by Woodhands spans an evening of performances, house parties, flirting and fun. The video’s frenetic stop/start editing and stop-motion mimics the electronic energy of the song perfectly while the vocal harmonies provide enough humanity to give the song real heart.

Secondly: “Summer Sounds” by Maylee & Pegwee Power. Remember the romantic interest in that previous video? The woman with the cherubic smile? That’s Maylee Todd and when not lending her smile (and voice) to Woodhands, she is busy channelling her Pegwee Power–a supernatural, alien psychadelic force—all to our benefit.

Finally: “Childman” by Mantler. Mantler is the neo-soul alter-ego of mild mannered Chris A. Cummings. A kind of quiet superhero with a gentle rasp and the power to punctuate his voice with a brass band. He has the demeanor and cocked eyebrow of a mad scientist and the knowing croon of a 70’s R&B icon.

The stakes always seem high when you’re a teenager and it’s that kind of atmosphere that lends itself to hero worship. For me, that was Pearl Jam. For eight years Eddie Vedder and company were probably the most important people in my life and probably had as much impact on the person I was during that time than any person I knew in real life. But today, when I hear those songs I just hear the echoes of worship—a reminder of absolute devotion—but no gravity to the songs themselves.

As an adult it seemed unlikely I would ever find a song that could make me feel that way again. There are plenty of musicians I admire and there is a wealth of inspired music out there to be discovered, but it never seems to strike quite at accurately and absolutely as it did it the early nineties. It isn’t the bands fault, I just figured I wasn’t capable anymore. That is until “End of Poverty” by Tomboyfriend.

This video got a great bump from the New York Times about a year and a half ago—yes, it’s old, but it’s gorgeous. The collection of homemade videos of young people dancing is just the remedy for a case of the grown-ups. But Emily Gould of the New York Times says it much better than I ever could.

As I watched, I suddenly remembered this part of being a teenager. Half the time they’re doing something incredibly bad — tying another kid to a pole with the belt from their school uniform or smoking pot in the alley. That’s what teenagers are famous for. But you forget the side of them that just lives in the moment and laughs all afternoon and feels a rock song the way adults never can and spends all day looking for the most original way to shout out: “I am here! I am me!”

And it’s true, every aspect of the song attached to it, “End of Poverty,” radiates with the wonderful and unique exuberance it is to be young and confused. Finally, after a decade without one, my “all time favourite song” had found me.

“End of Poverty” immediately made its way to heavy rotation, becoming the soundtrack for everything from weekend grocery shopping to late night dance parties. But soon curiosity won out and I had to know more. The problem is there was nothing else to hear. Tomboyfriend created 5 minutes of pop perfection and then went silent.

But a few weeks ago rumours of their debut full length, Don’t Go to School, began to bear fruit and the band previewed the album’s first track “Almost/Always.”

This song builds on the epic scale “End of Poverty” started. It’s a dystopic Dickensian fairytale about love and fear that seems to raise the stakes again, to teenage heights.

Then, another surprise. The band’s myspace is streaming another song, “Goldfinch Gluespoo” as well. While these two new releases can’t dethrone “End of Poverty” from “all time favourite song,” they certainly add dimension to the group. When Don’t Go to School does come out I think I’m going to crank my stereo, hit repeat, and tell my parents they don’t understand me—just for old times sake.