Finger eleven's debut album, tip, mixes merciless assaults of heavy metal with sudden, restrained Nirvana-like passages. The Toronto-based band is tight and the excellent production, courtesy of Arnold Lanni (Our Lady Peace, King's X), highlights the fact well. Scott Anderson's growling voice reminds me of Eddie Vedder at times and Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) at others – that is until he breaks into a falsetto whisper, which he often does. The remainder of the quintet – Sean Anderson (bass), James Black (guitar), Rick Jackett (guitar), Rich Beddoe (drums) – doesn't miss a beat backing him up. If these guys sound this good live, they may want to think about quitting their day jobs. Actually, it seems like they've already begun: Having previously shared the stage with Creed, Days of the New and Fuel, they're about to embark on their own headlining tour throughout the States and their homeland. With a little luck and some marketing muscle, finger eleven could well be on their way. Judging by their CD jacket and promotional materials, the latter appears to be covered. Which reminds me: thanks for the mouse pad, it's quite a lovely shade of green.

Anyone who writes an entire song about a chotchka, and then goes on to make it the title track of an album is either crazy or ingenious – and immediately wins me over. Not many people can pen a poignant love tune, but to write one about an inanimate object is a real feat. Not to dwell on eccentricity here, I should say that Mark Aaron James has a knack for writing truly clever lyrics about anything from love to the state of society – and he has the industry recognition to prove it (i.e., James won the 1998 Unisong Songwriting Competition, the CD was chosen as one of the top 12 editor's picks of Performing Songwriter magazine, and his songs have been performed by Jimmy Buffet among others). His release, Mr. Wirehead is filled with laid-back pop rock tunes in the vein of James Taylor. The songs are easy on the ears and highlighted by Mark's casual, clear vocal style and songwriting skills. On the recording, the backing musicians – the Borrowed Souls – beautifully and inconspicuously fill out Mark's voice and guitar. To purchase the CD or find out more about MAJ, check his Web site.

Cosma Suma's strong points seem to be uncannily balanced by their weaknesses. The music is lively; Mike Loss's vocals are appealing and tuneful; the songwriting is good, intelligent and quirky. On the downside, however, are various blemishes that tend to be somewhat distracting: The Farfisa organ brings back painful memories of The Knack, and the falsetto backup vocals and occasional feigned English accent just don't cut it. Back to the good news: these are actually small items that any good producer could easily weed out, allowing Cosma Suma's inherent potential to shine more brightly, which, I imagine, it will, as the band continues to record and gig around New York City. In addition to Loss, the band consists of Shawn Moriarity (guitar), Jason Brown (keyboards, harmonica), and Damian Eckstein (drummer). To find out when their playing next, check the band's Web site.