The Cliks

And now for something completely different. The Cliks' new album Snakehouse (Silver Label/Tommy Boy Entertainment, April 24) reveals a band of such primal power and unguarded emotionality that it will take your breath away. "Oh yeah, oh yeah, I've fallen down/But I can get up," sings Lucas Silveira in a voice at once scarred and defiant, over a pummeling rhythm section and a guitar riff of barely controlled fury. This unambiguous declaration kicks off "Oh Yeah," one of 10 fiercely expressive tracks on Snakehouse, and it could serve as the credo of the Toronto trio, as well as summing up the personal narrative of Silveira, a writer/singer/guitarist of uncommon talent and audacity.

This song, the album's emotional and thematic centerpiece, "expresses everything about who I am, where I've come from and how this album came to be," says Silveira, who's as intense in conversation as in performance. "I went to a place I thought I'd never get out of, and I think a lot of people go there-losing trust in somebody you love, losing faith in yourself, falling down, picking up the pieces and saying, 'Y'know, I'm gonna be OK.' It's experiences like that that make you who you are and give you your strength."

Another stunner, opening track "Complicated," leaps out of the speakers like a Pitbull with fangs bared, building to a series of explosive climaxes before hitting a bridge that takes the song to another level altogether. Just as captivating is the band's improbable transformation of Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" into a seething rock anthem, driven by a hopped-up reggae groove that shows you what a super-tight unit this is. Listening to these indelible tracks, one can understand why The Cliks have frequently been compared to the original Pretenders, as the multitalented Silveira writes and sings with the unbridled intensity of Chrissie Hynde while also playing electric guitar with the thrilling dynamism of the late, great James Honeyman-Scott.

On Snakehouse, The Cliks have created something mysterious yet transparent, specific yet universal, timeless yet intoxicatingly new. This is music that seems to emanate from a parallel universe, one where fundamental distinctions are blurred, living passionately is the highest level of existence and rock & roll is the ultimate form of expression.

A final suggestion: PLAY LOUD, and prepare to have your preconceptions obliterated.

The Cliks - led by vocalist/guitarist Lucas Silveira with Morgan Doctor (drums), Nina Martinez (guitar), Jen Benton (bass) - are known for their blazing, uncompromising live performances. The ferocious Toronto-based band will be touring the US performing songs from their forthcoming album, 'Snakehouse' (April 24/Tommy Boy/Silver Label). From the brash, energetic first single "Oh Yeah" or the sexy yet gutsy "Leading Me On," to their crowd favorite radical re-working of Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me A River," The Cliks deliver a "defiant intensity" (MTV.com).