Paul Saulnier can be pretty hard on himself. When he sings, he's a raw nerve, caterwauling like an electric guitar solo about feeling like a skid. "I'm sorry I forgot about that thing I was supposed to do last week," he cries during "In My Mind At Least," and everything you need to know about how gutted he feels is right there.
There are moments of purity and charm and poetry here that are rare. Once, in the '90s, there was a tour featuring Neil Young with Crazy Horse headlining and Sonic Youth opening and a song like "Advice" sounds a lot like the schedule got messed up and they both got on-stage at the same time and started playing together. Yet it makes sense.
PS write tragically fragile love songs like "Bad Brain Day" and stomping, glitch-y things like "Limestone Radio." Drummer Benjamin Nelson sings more, giving the glam-y title track an enigmatic urgency that melts away for some kind of post-punk disco jam. "Hoarders" is meaty, fuzzy Krautrock for a while and then it's a Kinks workout, Saulnier and Nelson divvying up the vocals for totally different feels.
The duo always leave themselves open — to textures, to emotional attacks — and it requires a certain amount of fearlessness on their part. This record will surprise their fans. The song "More of the Same" is a wild goose chase. It, like the album, is more dynamic and ambitious than anything else they've done.
(Paper Bag)There are moments of purity and charm and poetry here that are rare. Once, in the '90s, there was a tour featuring Neil Young with Crazy Horse headlining and Sonic Youth opening and a song like "Advice" sounds a lot like the schedule got messed up and they both got on-stage at the same time and started playing together. Yet it makes sense.
PS write tragically fragile love songs like "Bad Brain Day" and stomping, glitch-y things like "Limestone Radio." Drummer Benjamin Nelson sings more, giving the glam-y title track an enigmatic urgency that melts away for some kind of post-punk disco jam. "Hoarders" is meaty, fuzzy Krautrock for a while and then it's a Kinks workout, Saulnier and Nelson divvying up the vocals for totally different feels.
The duo always leave themselves open — to textures, to emotional attacks — and it requires a certain amount of fearlessness on their part. This record will surprise their fans. The song "More of the Same" is a wild goose chase. It, like the album, is more dynamic and ambitious than anything else they've done.