Ottawa, the nation's capital, is known for many things: ice skating on the canal during winter; standing on Parliament Hill on New Year's Eve to see the heavens ablaze with fireworks; the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators; and a hybrid of culture including renowned landmarks, notable institutions, national museums, official residences, government buildings, memorials and heritage structures.

Now, they are becoming renowned for one more distinction: the moody, cathartic sounds of indie rock band The Murder Plans.

Formed in a basement apartment in the winter of 2007, Nicholas Descarie (percussion), Joel Jacques (guitar, lap steel and piano), Connor McGuire (vocals, guitar), and Michael Simon (bass, vocals) have been compared to numerous bands such as Wilco and The Constantines, as well as older generations of rock like the Talking Heads and even Leonard Cohen. The heavy vocals are even reminiscent of an earlier Jakob Dylan (the son of Bob Dylan and leading vocalist of The Wallflowers).

"The recording of the album reflects a time of change in both the band's sound as well as our lives," says band co-front McGuire. "We went from being balls out rockers to being a little more introspective. I think it really comes across on both the record and our shows — a feeling of dark optimism and comfort in the fact that everything can suddenly change and there's nothing you can do about it."

Good Omens was recorded and mixed by Dean Watson at Gallery Studios with mastering by Phil Bova of Bova Sound who has also worked with Jason Collet, Zeus and the Arts & Crafts recording label. The album took nearly two years to complete and the The Murder Plans describe the process of making the album "transformative." McGuire describes the journey: "We went into that church basement a pretty straight ahead rock band and came out nearly two years later with a record that sounds like absolutely nothing like we could have imagined."

The album is creative and well orchestrated. The broody sound is easy on the ears and would complement a quiet dinner party or a gathering of friends. But do not expect a cheerful, swinging tempo that can get you kick-started early in the morning, cheer you up when you are down, or prepare for a night to hit Richmond Row. Nevertheless, one can appreciate the music and the organization of their production. A very detailed and organized MySpace page includes all 11 tracks from Good Omens, a brief biography describing their journey in the production, and a list of radio stations in Canada to request their music (Radio Western's CHRW 94.9 is included on the list). There are even four YouTube videos of The Murder Plans playing live. Their webpage is similarly well designed.

Two distinctive tracks, Hurt Somebody and Chorus Girls, speed up the slow, folksy-rock sound and give listeners a taste of the talent that lies within the band. Overall, Good Omens is a quality album with potential for even better things to come from this four-piece band.

You can visit the Murder plans at www.themurderplans.com.