Watcher
Into The Woods
(independent)
By now, Watcher must have garnered some comparisons to The Strokes; the lead vocals (by Ben Coe) are quite similar in delivery to Julian Casablancas' meandering, Morrissey-esque melodies that tend to linger on sevenths and major thirds. The band behind Coe is a little more instrumentally far-flung, however, featuring pianos (Rich Pellegrino) and some trumpets by Stacey G. and (also drummer) Rudy Renaud. The guitars (Tristan Tash) are interesting in sparse and basic ways, which is fine for a band like this, especially when you've got (producer/engineer) Mark Miller twisting the knobs. I hate to pick on Theresa Berard—whose vocals are actually great—but the bass arrangements are a bit of a weak link in the mix, if there is one.
—Tom Sturm
Vivian Girls
Vivian Girls
(In The Red)
Offering a surprisingly fresh take on garage rock, The Vivian Girls mix girl-group harmonies, primal thumping grooves, and fuzzed-out feedback. The Brooklyn trio gallops through 10 songs in a mere 22 minutes, ensuring you don't have time to tire of shambling rocker or heart-fluttering ballad. The lo-fi production may obscure the band's songwriting chops and canny melodies beneath scrims of feedback, but it also keeps the tunes from seeming overly familiar. Although named after artist Henry Darger's perverse creations, these Vivian Girls aren't as rarefied as their namesakes. They say what they mean—never more winningly than in the ecstatically negative "No," which lasts all of 79 seconds.
—Jeff Jackson
The Novels
Paper Cliche
(Sonic Strawberry)
Paper Clich? is a spirited full-length debut from these Northampton pop practitioners. Released on nascent local independent label Sonic Strawberry Records, the album spins yarns of boys and girls in suburban bohemia, while stylistically resting comfortably between garage rock and '60s British pop. It's ear candy with punch, featuring sunny melodies, groovy bass lines and layered guitars. The band is not afraid to rock out, especially on driving numbers like "Messages from the Fields," and they throw in a few danceable moments as well, highlighted by the disco-inflected "The Sisters." A nice representation of their rock solid live sets, the CD is available now at all local record shops.
—Matthew Dube
Loney Dear
Dear John
(Polyvinyl)
From the first strains of Dear John, it's clear that Loney Dear (Swedish one-man recording phenomenon Emil Svan?ngen) makes the kind of music that's set to appeal solely to the most starry-eyed of the indie pop world. There's an undercurrent of hip longing that's kept aloft in a nonetheless sunny sky by pummeling drums and slow-moving tenor vocals. The arrangements are clever cobblings of slick '60s mania, orchestral horns and strings, and a driving low-end, all stuffed into a small sonic space. It's compelling at first, but the cumulative effect is rather like a bubblegum Coldplay—the cloying sweetness of Loney Dear means eventually the desire to leave that bubblegum under the bar stool becomes overwhelming.
—James Heflin
