Shuffle Magazine Issue 7
Calling a band radio-ready is often seen as a damning praise. After all, most (commercial) radio plays about as many songs as there are spaces on a bingo card, and each of those spaces is usually filled by a band playing one hyper-predictable, super specific genre cliché or another. What's more, there's no longer any "free space" in the middle for anything different or unique to gain traction. Too bad for radio, then, as this self-titled release, eminently hummable/harmonizable, is a little gem for those who like their pop rock like R.E.M. or Built to Spill make it: a little angular, a little obscure, and a lot of fun. Guitarist Neil Hunter's spidery, Peter Buck-esque riffs, just as high in the ever-insistent mix as Lee Neitzel's easy/beatific vocals, takes listeners back (and hopefully, forward) to an era when rock radio didn't mean also playing an endless game of Spot the Influence.