When you combine former punk rockers from America's hipster meccas of Brooklyn and Los Angeles, you should expect your expectations to be misled. This is way happier than I thought it was going to be. It has more in common with the Postal Service than any industrial or synth wave band; the vocals are surprisingly influenced more by T-Rex than the punk of today, which I am fine with. Things get somewhat punkier on the second song. "Stay Behind" is psychedelic indie rock that will be playing in coffee houses that pot-smokers frequent this fall. It is a cool collection of sounds that does not really click with me.
"Magic Button" is more experimental, but it boils down to placing more focus on sounds over songs. "Born Again" follows more of an electronic pulse, and it works out better for them than the songs that preceded this one. The hushed urgency of the vocals to "The Ballad of Debbie Campbell" makes me think of INXS. "Hsppy Valley" is experimental pop which, midway into this album, seems to be the best genre description of what is going on here. "Prussian Blue" is a little more disjointed and noisy, whereas a more melodic groove flows through "On Your Knees."
The last song kind of bubbles up from the extended mix jam of "On Your Knees". It holds on to the lo-fi indie dance groove and fucks with it by twisting the sounds around in a more experimental fashion, the vocals falling toward the back of the mix. I will give this album an 8.5, more pop needs to be experimental like this, normally when I want this sort of thing I go with Xiu Xiu who is darker and more uncompromising, but some pople are less of a weirdo and something like this might appeal to them more.
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