Finger Eleven is back with vengeance, and a ripoff. The Canadian alt metal band came into the world in Burlington, Ontario as The Rainbow Butt Monkeys. Which name is better? It’s kind of a wash. How about the Finger Eleven Butt Monkeys? Is that available?

Franz Ferdinand formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2001 and delighted history teachers throughout the U.S. that instantly gained 2% street cred for knowing all about Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Take Me Out became a big hit in the UK and a modest hit in the US in 2004, with it’s unique composition and catchy guitar hook. Finger Eleven lifted this idea in Paralyzer which was a big hit for the band in the U.S. in 2008.

Mason Jennings played a sold out show at First Avenue in Minneapolis on December 27th, 2007. He usually plays First Ave every December, and this concert came closely after the soundtrack to I’m Not There was released, in which he provided two excellent Bob Dylan covers - Times They Are a-Changin’ and The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll. Surprisingly, both songs were left off the setlist.

Tegan and Sara, my favorite lesbian identical twin sister Canadian band, came to the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis on November 30th, 2007, in support of their phenomenal record The Con. The album is on my best of 2007 list. They played a nice mix of this record and their older material.

Overall, the show was very good, with some minor distractions.

The first of which are intended for the crowd.

Much like Nancy Sinatra’s boots are made for walking, theater shows are made for sitting. You can stand for the encore only. Also, it’s not a free for all, and you can’t run up to the pit. Sorry kids. Stay off my damn lawn.

Young Folks by Sweden’s Peter Bjorn and John was to 2007, as Crazy by Gnarls Barkley was to 2006 in the United States. The instantly recognizeable drumbeat, vocal stylings of guest performer Victoria Bergsman (formerly of The Concretes), and the infectious whistle used in the verse make it as sweet as a pouch of big league chew. I’m guessing The Turtles enjoyed this song, since they recorded something very similar in 1966 called You Baby. The major similarities are the drumbeat and the melody of the verses. Even the beatlesque jangly guitar in You Baby is close to the whistling of Young Folks, which makes sense since it’s just following the melody.

Ryan Adams is arguably one of the most talented singer/songwriters of his generation, and Easy Tiger will be at the top of my best albums of 2007 list. I guess with high expectations comes the greater probability of disappointment. He is prolific, averaging an album per year, with a wealth of unreleased material on the shelf that is finally being released as a boxed set. That being said, he has difficulties performing, especially in Minnesota. I think there’s a pill for that right?

The Arcade Fire have quietly become one of the most vital bands in current music, spearheading the Canadian Invasion (trademark). In one of these quiet moments, I believe they watched Eddie and the Cruisers in the comfort of their tour bus. The melody verse of Keep the Car Running by the Arcade Fire is similar to the melody verse of On the Darkside by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band.

It’s true. The Damon Albarn-fronted uber hip animated band Gorillaz lifted a tune from the Canadian Troubadour Gordon Lightfoot. This is a case of verse sounds like verse.

If You Could Read my Mind appeared on the 1970 album Sit Down Young Stranger and rose to #5 on the Billboard charts becoming his first American hit. This prompted Reprise Records to change the name of the album to (big surprise) If You Could Read my Mind. The album has a picture of the G-Light (everyone refer to him as G-Light from this point forward) staring out of a window with a content, possibly bordering on creepy, expression on his face similar to John Denver’s much creepier 1970 album cover for Take Me to Tomorrow.

OK. Let’s start this blog off with the quintessentiel example of songs being alike.

The Chiffons were an all girl r&b group that came out of the Bronx in 1960. The group hit number one in the U.S. with the song He’s So Fine as their first single. It was written by a songwriter named Ronald Mack, who died of cancer shortly after it was released. Carole King played piano on this track. The group included Judy Craig as lead singer, Patricia Bennett and Barbara Lee. Sylvia Peterson joined the group in 1963.