While our November trip around the lands of Northern Europe has ended, much like the Vikings we're moving from the Nordics westward to the shores of Canada. Arrival takes exactly 53 seconds. That's the moment at which all elements of this Quebec quartet's sound have converged, and along with it reassured fans that the four-year wait for the band's third album was worth it. Welcome to Half Moon Run.

Acquainted listeners will quickly recognize the group's sound: the folky-pop mix usually befitting a singer-songwriter; their touch of synths; the blend of harmonies; that minuscule dose of Radiohead. They'll also hear it all ramped up a notch as the foursome hits a high point of their career thus far.

For the uninitiated, you’ll either take to A Blemish in the Great Light, thinking it hits the right emotional notes with Half Moon Run earning their keep alongside Canadian counterparts like Wintersleep and the Zolas. Or you'll find it boring, inoffensive, unimaginative dreck. I can easily understand it both ways. Those two concepts aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, considering the music we're bombarded with in TV commercials and at shopping malls in the full throes of the holiday season. It's the most wonderful time of the year! On that note, A Blemish in the Great Light fits right in, no matter where your opinion falls.