Which is from farther west, The Commuters or Amplifier?
Amplifier (band) Amplifier are an English rock band originating from Manchester. The band has released six albums and four EPs since its inception in 1999. Their music has been described as "Soundgarden, Tool, Black Sabbath, Oceansize and Pink Floyd taking copious amounts of mind-altering substances and venturing on a trip through time and space (to another dimension), and back again." Their music is characterised by guitarist Sel Balamir's effect pedals, Matt Brobin's complex drumming, extended heavy sections, atmospheric compositions and philosophical lyrics.
The Consumer Goods The Consumer Goods was a Canadian indie rock/pop band originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Their politically charged music earned both praise and contempt, and made them controversial figures in the Canadian indie rock scene in the 2000s. Between 2005 and 2012, they released four records and scored two significant hits including "…Sam Katz," a polemic against Winnipeg's mayor that went into heavy rotation on local radio, much to Sam Katz's embarrassment, and "Hockey Night in Afghanada," an anthemic call for the separation of hockey and war-mongering that "managed to thoroughly embarrass the folks at CBC Sports when they submitted the song to CBC's contest to replace the Hockey Night In Canada Theme." The band also toured Canada extensively, appeared on the cover of "Uptown Magazine", charted in over 50 independent radio stations in Canada and the US, and were nominated for two awards (including one of CBC's annual listener-selected "Bucky Awards"). Principally powered by activist/teacher Tyler Shipley, the band relocated to Toronto in the late 2000s and released its final album there, produced by Dale Morningstar and featuring Dave Clark and Bob Egan. They are often compared to other politically minded acts from Winnipeg, most notably The Weakerthans and Propagandhi. The Consumer Goods appeared on the Winnipeg-based Grumpy Cloud Records.