Detroit Rock City. The original Heartland of American rock and roll. Park The Van's High Strung is definitely one of our own, one that we should be proud to call "ours", yet they go above and beyond the garage rock mold into a realm that's entirely one of their own. Welcome to Ode to the Inverse of the Dude, out this April 21st, 2009.

When producer David Newfeld (Broken Social Scene, Los Campesinos!) agreed to helm the latest High Strung album, a strange/wonderful meeting was set to take place. In the height of a brutal Canadian winter, the High Strung brought a decidedly different batch of songs with them to the small church-studio of the legendary indie producer. Josh Malerman (songwriter) has written his first group of “personal” numbers, songs that addressed bizarre psychological states as well as revealing/comforting ideas of a man turning himself “inside out” -- the idea of celebratory self-examination.

Ode to the Inverse of the Dude sounds a lot like what itʼs about; thereʼs no doubt Newfeld stretched a band who was ready to be stretched and the outcome is a fantastic/blissful proclomation. Ode... is an exploratory album, combining dreamy sounds and lyrics with the magnificence of the rock band that the High Strung is. The album is an honest original, but itʼs not a puzzle, itʼs a matter of heart. Songs like “Guilt is How Iʼm Built”, “Standing at the Door of Self- Discovery”, and “Out of Character” not only adhere to the theme but feel and sound like a genuine self-evaluation where as the subject is equal parts excited and frightened to discover what he has. Derek Berk and Chad Stocker, one of the countryʼs most colorful/dynamic rhythm sections, do not dissapoint as they bring to life this coming together of wonderful artists. This record is a musical/ pyschological triumph for both a producer who has worked his magic into the hearts of millions and a band who gets better with every album.