right from the start, toronto's fucked up have been pushing musical and conceptual boundaries. their third album, the 18-song, 78-minute 'david comes to life', is a rock opera, an album set to a play. though no less monumental, it is far more melodic than their breakthrough 'the chemistry of common life'. there are more female vocals, which work in perfect contrast to damian abraham's highly effective wounded bull growl. the band sound tighter, with more space for the flourishes and imaginative song-writing that entwine their love of british indie pop with heavy riffing, and some genuinely twisted turns. perhaps most grippingly, the triple-guitar interplay between mike haliechuk, josh zucker and ben cook has risen to symphonic levels. they channel musicians from angus young, pete townshend and noel gallagher to bob stinson and lyle preslar with ease and grace. as for the story, more on that to come...