Haulers

On its debut, Another Blue Door shows that you don't have to be from the U.S. to pass for Americana or, for that matter, '90s American indie rock. The Oshawa, Canada, quintet takes hold of an interesting blend of both, though Haulers is somewhat insufficient when supplying interesting songwriting. After the sluggish seven-minute opener, "Nova Scotia," and the droopy "Christmas '98," the band finds its way in the country-boogie of "American Guitars," where singer/guitarist Dave Schoonderbeek ironically sings in a wobbly voice, "I love to boogie/I'm so sick of your American guitars." Elsewhere, there are traces of sadcore ("Dirty Fingers") among the mostly sleepy tunes. The understated lap steel on "Muzzled" and "Why Are You Sneaking Like a Thief?" grazes a home-on-the-range landscape, though it doesn't quite compose the picture that you want it to. Still, Haulers is able to maintain a natural convergence of indie rock and country.