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Spotlight

Germans

Who? There’s something eccentric about Germans. Perhaps it’s the fact that they actually hail from Toronto, Canada and not Deutschland, but that’s just a testament to their quirky sense of humor. Check out their website (and look left) and you’ll see band members, Leon Taheny, Steven Lappano, Moshe Rozenberg, Jesse Foster, and Aidan Koper posing in a droll family portrait.

What’s the Deal? Their debut album, Cape Fear, unassumingly revives indie sounds of the ’90s, with strong elements of Archers of Loaf and Teenbeat Records-era bands. Opening song “Tiger Vaccuum Bottle” is fast, loud, catchy and a good segue into “No Job,” a poppy math-rock sing-along, which features a constant reverb hum amongst staccato moog/keyboard playing and delicate, raspy vocals. The album winds down with the fun, Nintendo-like instrumental song, “Pogos Abenteuer” and moog-heavy songs, “M. Bison” and “Browns.”

Fun Fact: Multi-talented band member, Aidan Koper, was selected to perform “Stupid Human Trick” on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman. Actress Natalie Portman, who was also on the show, admired Koper’s freakish ability to contort his body through a tennis racket while juggling. And coincidentally, this November, Koper will make an appearance showcasing his unique talents in a movie starring Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman. MONIQUE LAVIE

Now Hear This: Germans – “I Am the Teacher” DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web: Germans on MySpace

Talk: Will you enroll in the Germans’ school of rock?