The Warped 45s are kind enough to offer listeners a litmus test on the first song and title track of its debut album, 10 Day Poem for Saskatchewan. Overtop of sawing fiddles and a maudlin piano, Dave McEathron sings “Why do I feel lonesome?/ Well a cow’s breath smells like a Maritime wind.” Though poet Dave Seymour wrote the lyrics, your reaction to those lines will determine your enjoyment of The Warped 45s. If you find those words poignant and ripe with poetic imagery, 10 Day Poem for Saskatchewan is for you. If you find the phrase to be a particularly ridiculous example of Canadiana, you’d best steer clear of the rest of the album.

While I’ll admit I laughed the first time I heard McEathron deliver that simile, 10 Day Poem is an earnestly delivered, skilfully performed helping of roots rock; it’s just not for me. If you’re on-board with the near fetishization of rural Canada, The Warped 45s will provide a lot to like.