"Among the truths we hold to be self-evident are these: Canadian bands can play their butts off, and they can also bring the funny. No outfit hailing from north of the border embodies these paired virtues more engagingly than the Barenaked Ladies, whose fusion of hooks and yuks has resulted in more than 14 million albums sold, as well as putting myriad fannies in the seats of concert halls and amphitheaters around the world. On the occasion of the band's 25th anniversary, BNL — Ed Robertson (guitar/vocals), Jim Creeggan (bass/vocals), Kevin Hearn (keyboard/guitar/vocals) and Tyler Stewart (drums/vocals) — are celebrating with new album GRINNING STREAK. The album, the band's twelfth, is their first in partnership with Vanguard Records after self-releasing their last four efforts. The album picks up steam via its hyper-hooky 1st single ''Boomerang,'' produced by Gavin Brown, who handled 11 of GRINNING STREAK's 15 tracks. Indeed, the whole of GRINNING STREAK unfolds with the signature blend of immediacy, tunefulness and witty sophistication that made such BNL hits as ''Pinch Me, ''Brian Wilson,'' ''If I Had $1,000,000'' and the chart-topping ''One Week'' modern-day classics. ''We built our career playing summer outdoor shows,'' Robertson points out. ''Let's enjoy ourselves. Let's live like it is the last summer on earth. Let's party like it's 1999.''"