At the rate they’re going, whether they mean to or not, the Most Serene Republic will alter the way in which people appreciate rock music. It might sound like a lofty achievement for an unlikely band of 20-somethings bred in the Toronto suburb of Milton, Ontario but if you pay close attention to their discography—particularly 2007’s Population—you’ll hear something entirely unique. Don’t disregard their dense art-pop breakthrough Underwater Cinematographer (A&C 2005) or the transitional tour E.P. Phages (A&C 2006) completely; these are the keys to understanding how the Most Serene Republic came to form the masterful achievement that is Population, which might seem superficially sugary if it weren’t for the poison lurking under its remarkable layers of sound.

There have been countless records that begin with the same bombast as The Most Serene Republic’s …And The Ever Expanding Universe, but few have taken listeners down a path of such enriching, introspective discovery. Long masters at stimulating senses and stirring emotions, the Ontario-based band have never sounded this immediate and attainable. The sonic density of their previous efforts has given way to more dynamic, engaging fare, as visceral as the most obviously cloying pop music but with a more scintillating head on its shoulders.