KICK in the EYE is Canadian

Any doubts about the aching sincerity of KICK in the EYE are erased precisely 13 seconds into this 20-track, Canadiana-inspired outing, when singer-guitarist Donnie Lochrie rasps “I’d like to thank David Suzuki/For teaching me about ecology.” If you’re a fan of The Kids in the Hall, NOFX, or The Onion, you end up waiting for a punch line that never comes.

The same holds true for the sadly, well, just sad “Our Canucks (And the Stanley Cup Run of 2011)” (sample lyric: “Our time is here/It’s time to cheer”).

Luckily, the long-running local duo—which includes singer-bassist-spouse Marian Lochrie—have fun elsewhere, with “Trailer Park Boys” finding the sweet spot between the Ramones and April March, and “My Home on the Fraser” offering more twang-tastic fun than Loretta Lynn’s first appearance on Hee Haw.