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The two opposing forces that comprise Human Highway have an awful lot in common. Jim Guthrie, the lesser-known 50 percent shareholder in the band, is a Canadian singer-songwriter who used to be in Royal City and now occasionally plays guitar for Islands. Nick Thorburn, another Canadian who controls the other 50 percent interest, is a former Unicorn who fronts the aforementioned Islands. What binds the two is a serious interest in writing pop music with an experimental bent that never loses its focus on melody and careful song construction.

Their collaboration as Human Highway, Moody Motorcycle, is a thoroughly democratic affair, both musicians sharing equal songwriting credits throughout the tracklisting. This could easily lead to a situation in which each song is identifiable by either Thorburn's or Guthrie's distinct voice. But, minor differences aside, the album is a cohesive effort, showing the ability of these two musicians to set aside ego in favor of artistry.

There are several throwaway songs. "Sleep Talking," a rehash of a familiar ‘50s tune, mines territory already explored by Modest Mouse over a decade ago on their similarly-titled song, "Sleepwalking." And "All Day," a sunny reggae tune, feels a bit out of place. But the simple pleasures of layered vocal harmonies on a song like "Get Lost" or the excellent title track find Guthrie and Thorburn at their best. The easy pop-rock guitars that make up the bedrock of this collection are sometimes backed by what sounds like programmed drums and sometimes by a brushed snare right out of Calexico's bag of tricks.

Nothing overly complicated is going on here, just two songwriters stretching out a bit, allowing themselves to combine musical resources outside the confines of their normal gigs. For Thorburn, especially, this means a return to the roots of rock by veering away from the musical theater of Islands, a task that he sounds more than game for.

Standout Tracks: "Get Lost," "Moody Motorcycle" JONAH FLICKER