Bound Stems
(Flameshovel)
If a family were truly afloat, it's kind of doubtful its members could muster the youthful exuberance these indie darlings bring to moments as infectious as "Happens To Us All Otherwise" or "Passing Bell." Leadoff track "Taking Tips From The Gallery Gang" eases in with a rainy-day jangle. But the song keeps gaining urgency as it moves through more sections than "Band on the Run" and "Bohemian Rhapsody," as predictably unpredictable as the thornier tracks on their debut, until they've ended on a festive note with Mariachi horns that leaves you wondering just what to make of a line as potentially devastating as "I got dressed in my suit and my tie, but it's ruined--that's a lousy way to fall."
That seeming disconnect between the music and the lyrics runs through any number of the more inspired tracks here, but the glass is definitely half-full on the album's most infectious track, the effervescent "Happens To Us All Otherwise," where complexity takes one for the team. After setting the stage for more depression with "In all my life, in all my years, we take it 'til it hurts then wait until it heals," Bobby Gallivan finds love or hope or sex or dreams and suddenly he's shouting "Yes, you've made a difference!" like he really means it. It's an indie-pop gem so endearing, it makes you wish they'd lighten up more often.
Standout Tracks: "Happens To Us All Otherwise," "Passing Bell." A. WATT
