Cassette

The Calgary-based band Women came to an end with the tragic death of guitarist Christopher Reimer; Matt Flegel and Mike Wallace from the band have picked up the pieces with their new project, Viet Cong. "Cassette", originally a tour-only release, is the group's scrappy introduction to the world.

Arty and angular but hitting with the impact of a snotty young punk outfit, Viet Cong's debut EP Cassette (so titled because it was initially released on the then-newly hip tape format) suggests what early period Roxy Music or mid- to late-'70s David Bowie (when both of them were hanging out with Brian Eno) might have sounded like if they'd emerged from the chilly climes of Canada in the 21st century rather than the hipper locales of England, and had developed a passing interest in power pop and indie rock en route.

Cassette was originally released last year as just that: a seven-track tape of demos they made to bring on tour.