Two-sentence album reviews on Harlem, Morning Benders, Bettie Serveert, Legendary Shack Shakers and more
Two Short
by Steve Haruch @steveharuch and D. Patrick Rodgers @dpatrickrodgers
Harlem, Hippies (Matador)
True, there isn't a shortage these days of lo-fi, throwback garage rock (a la The Seeds) delivered with stoned indifference and a dash of sunshine-pop influence. But hey, these guys do it better than Girls. DPR
Bows and Arrows, "Let's Take on the Night" 7-inch (Self-released)
Local '60s-style fetishists go from twee to towering in the twink of a glockenspiel. And in these three cuts they give us more charming, reverby fuzz-pop that rocks harder where it counts than most mods can dream. SH
Morning Benders, Big Echo (Rough Trade)
Nestled neatly on the newest branch of the Baroque-Pop Family Tree — the tree that Brian Wilson planted — The Morning Benders' West Coast sound is as smart as indie-pop gets without being pretentious. Mark my words: This will end up in a lot of "Best of 2010" piles. DPR
The Ravenna Colt, Slight Spell (Removador)
Kentucky kids create some beautiful moments amid dusty atmospheres. Kind of like a less-glum Band of Horses, only with pedal steel, more swing in the hips and a drowsy Southern drawl. SH
Serena Maneesh, No. 2: Abyss in B Minor (4AD)
Who says Norwegians are incapable of producing anything besides industrial, death and black metal? This one proves they can make dark, shoegazing noise pop ... not an enormous stretch, but it's something. DPR
The Living Sisters, Love to Live (Vanguard)
Eleni Mandell, Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond) and The Bird (sans Bee) get together for some lilting, jazzy noo-wop. Pleasant enough, and expertly performed, but with so much "baby" it's hard to tell the ballads from the lullabies. SH
Legendary Shack Shakers, Agridustrial (Thirty Tigers/Colonel Knowledge)
This mud-spattered, bluesy thrashgrass eats sin for breakfast and defecates greasy guitar. Not for the faint. SH
Dr. Dog, Shame, Shame (ANTI-)
Philly's retro DIY indie-rock road warriors Dr. Dog have proven with confounding consistency that they can write a sturdy groove and soul-stirring vocal harmonies. Here they briefly suspend their trademark bedroom-pop production idiosyncrasies for an attempt at replicating their live show — it works. DPR
Bettie Serveert, Pharmacy of Love (Palomine/Second Motion)
The Dutch indie-rock stalwarts make their best batch of catchy-sharp songs since the last incredible album you were too busy listening to shitty chillwave bands to notice. Yeah, this band still rules. SH
For more music news and reviews, go to nashvillecream.com.
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