Pharrell – “G I R L”

(Photo Credit: Hollywood Reporter)

Grade: B+

Key Tracks: “Hunter” “Gust of Wind”

This was a risky time for Pharrell to release a solo album. He’s riding the waves of one of the most successful years someone in music can have. He had guest spots on the two biggest songs of last summer – “Get Lucky” and “Blurred Lines,” and he co-wrote and produced two songs on Beyonce’s instant-legend self-titled album. He wore a silly, hip-hop-historical and now famous hat to the Grammy’s, and he released a 24 hour music video for his big hit, “Happy.” Pharrell is, nowadays, now famous for producing and guest spots, hugely overshadowing his solo work and his music with N.E.R.D. and the Neptunes. So if “G I R L” were to be underwhelming, it would likely derail the ever-increasing speed of the train that Pharrell is at the helm of. Luckily, “G I R L” is a sufficient pop release. It isn’t the most memorable of albums, but it strongly benefits from an all-inviting sound, a consistent feminist agenda, and huge name guest spots from Pharrell’s long, long contact list.

Pharrell tried to hit all bases with “G I R L,” and he certainly succeeds. It’s sexy – like the sweaty “Hunter.” It’s classy, with opener “Marilyn Monroe.” And it’s friendly – centered around the smash hit “Happy,” which seems to actually be stylized on the album as “Happy (from Despicable Me 2).” You know, the kids movie. The very next song is “Come Get It Bae,” featuring the not-family-friendly Miley Cyrus. Whatever your fancy is with pop music, “G I R L” likely hits it.

The guest spots, though usually not the focus of a review, are something to marvel at. As mentioned, Miley drops in. And so do Alicia Keys, Daft Punk, Kelly Osbourne, a very falsetto-y Justin Timberlake, Timbaland (relegated to beatboxing) and, unpredictably, JoJo. And the strings on the album – arranged by Hans Zimmer. The cast on this album reads like a Wes Anderson movie. And just like an Anderson film – some of the appearances are solely based on “look who I got to be here!,” while some, especially Daft Punk, add a whole level of depth and help separate each track from the next.

And it’s good that each song is distinct enough to stand out – because Pharrell, on his own, isn’t actually all that strong. The rare moments when he raps on the album work, but otherwise, his voice usually just blends into the background. Think about “Happy” – his voice only overpowers the music because the music is minimal during the chorus, and it’s catchy because of how his voice acts as an instrument, not for the lyrics. There are moments where he ups into falsetto, and he really doesn’t hit the notes. There are a couple moments were it resembles watching a Top 12 American Idol giving what you just know is their last performance. It just isn’t quite there, overall. But it’s a boatload of fun, so it’s never an issue.

“G I R L” is all linked together by a distinctly feministic tone. It’s almost possible to see this – and “Get Lucky” and his work on Beyonce’s album – as an apology for the gut-wrechnigly misogynist (and possibly divorce-causing) “Blurred Lines.” Pharrell sometimes skirts the lines of male pop feminism – respecting women’s bodies and sexual desires, etc., and sometimes fully delves into actual feminism. It helps to create a consistent tone, and let’s be real, it’s just nice to hear. Inviting feminist-leaning artists like Daft Punk, Timberlake and the severely misunderstood Miley Cyrus only helps that. The era of patriarchal sex-pop is coming to a close, and Pharrell seems to be the one locking the doors.

So “G I R L” only suffers from Pharrell himself not being the most talented singer. And given that this is his first solo album in eight years, it’s not his specialty. He produced the whole album, and wrote every song, much more his strong suits. The album is not the most memorable, because it all feels familiar. But it’s still enjoyable and every song is unique. It sounds by the books, if every song was taken from a different book than the one previous. “G I R L” is a listen for those of all ages and musical preferences. There’s something for everyone, and his “music for everyone” approach helps to bolster the feminist themes. “G I R L” won’t be one of the albums of the year, but it’s a more than decent pop release, and one that will help Pharrell continue his unstoppable reign.

-By Andrew McNally

Ross Hammond – “Humanity Suite”

Grade: A-

It’s important to think of “Humanity Suite” not as a live piece of music, but as performance art, or even a score. Acclaimed guitarist Ross Hammond was invited to play at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. His performance coincided with an exhibit of the work of Kara Walker, whose honest works were largely known for black and white silhouettes, sometimes even over other artists’ works. Hammond did not know which works would be on display during the performance – so “Humanity Suite” acts as a score to exist alongside Walker’s broader themes. The free-form jazz album does not get as dark as some of Walker’s works, but it is every bit as diverse and frayed.

Unfortunately, I always stream music to review, so I was unable to fully appreciate what the physical LP is like, but I can imagine that it has a reluctant crispness to it. Releasing the Suite on vinyl (and with the cover, pictured above) was a throwback to jazz albums of the 70’s, the best of which had a very loose feel similar to Hammond’s.

The album’s loose feel is very intentional. Hammond scored outlines for six pieces, that were thematically consistent with both each other and Walker’s art. But many of the contributing musicians were not based in Sacramento, so each movement was left with a large amount of room for improvisation. What follows is two pieces, each in the 23 minute range (perfect for an LP), that are grounded in writing but take a new and stronger form through inviting and free improvisation. The beauty of this is that “Humanity Suite” has the right amount of restraint – the improvisation is based off pre-written rhythms, so it never goes off-the-rails, but it doesn’t just stick to a formula, either.

The musicians picked by Hammond are multi-instrumentalist Vinny Golia, saxophonist Catherine Sikora, bassist Kerry Kashiwagi, trombonist Clifford Childers, and drummer Dax Compise. They sound fluid together, working off each other during improvisation, not against each other. Sikora gets a nice, extended feature around the nine minute mark of the first side, and everyone is given their moments to shine. Hammond himself isn’t always to be found on the first side, letting the other musicians have their moments. (The second side is more guitar-centric, though, at least at first).

“Humanity Suite” was recorded in front of a live audience, at the Crocker Art Museum. Having an audience present and audible helps the album have a smooth tone. “Humanity Suite” might be based around Walker’s art, but you don’t need her art to appreciate it. It is a standalone album – two winding compositions that know where to start and not where to end. Each side brings the listener through chaos and stability, loud and soft. “Humanity Suite” may have been composed as a companion piece, but it takes on a life of it’s own.

The album will be available on vinyl and as a digital download through Prescott Recordings on May 9th.

-By Andrew McNally

Mystics Anonymous – “Dreaming For Hours”

(Photo Credit: bandcamp)

Grade: A-

Key Tracks: “Made of the Time” “Vanishing Phase”

Mystics Anonymous, aka singer-songwriter Jeff Steblea, approaches music “where nothing is off-limits.” Indeed, nothing is more limitless than dreams. “Dreaming For Hours,” his first project under this moniker in a decade, is a transient mix of indie rock and dreamy, electro influences, finding a healthy balance. “Dreaming For Hours” sounds like a 90’s product – but one that we would have then said was ‘ahead of it’s time.’ It’s experimental, but very accessible, carving itself a home in between conventional indie and experimental dream-pop.

There are points on the album where Steblea’s music does become just standard singer-songwriter type music. One of the standouts, “Made of the Time,” is essentially a straight rock song. There’s plenty of tracks on the album like this, and a majority of them are strong. Steblea, and his backing band, are not afraid to sound familiar – there are alt-rock songs with big choruses and folk-minded acoustic tracks. But there are outside elements. The first track, “Sinner’s Lament” starts with a 90’s house-like rhythm, and there are “dream” interludes throughout the album, some sounding like video games, some like nightmares. Some songs, like “False Voices” and “The Fifth Business,” blur the two into original, dream-like songs that intersperse the straighter alt songs.

Steblea’s vocals are not the most powerful, but they seem to dominate most of the songs. The straight tones balance the dreaming quality of some of the music, and it helps to establish a 90’s-type alt-sound. Likewise, the backing band sound effortlessly talented, but they often reserve themselves to simpler music. “Dreaming For Hours” acts almost as an exercise for musicians – advertising the fact that talented musicians can create rock songs that are just as good as complex, electro ones (and there’s plenty of both). (It’s also worth noting that the band includes Daniel Hales).

“Dreaming For Hours” certainly resembles a dream. Some ideas are over in a minute, many stretch over six. There’s something very unexpected about the album, hidden amongst more familiar themes, just like a dream. The album’s only real fault is it’s length – a little too much of a good thing. It’s problematic, because there are few songs that overstay their welcome, and the album is cohesive as a whole. But five of the album’s fourteen songs are over five minutes, and it makes for a lengthy listen. For a musician, that’s about the best problem to have. “Dreaming For Hours” is an achievement; an original yet familiar piece, centered around the great songwriting of Jeff Steblea.

The album can be streamed and purchased on the Mystics Anonymous bandcamp page. It is also available on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, and most major sources.

-By Andrew McNally

No Man’s Valley – “…And Four Other Songs”

Grade: B+

Key Track: “Happy?”

It’s tempting to call No Man’s Valley a throwback band for today’s music. The Dutch group has the constructs of a typical rock band – vocals, guitars, bass, drums and keyboard. But the band prides themselves on incorporating 60s’ style rhythms and moods into their songs, and there’s elements from many different eras. The songs have a garage rock energy to them, and there is a frequent use of soundclips. When the whole package comes together, it becomes a band taking many different influences to become their own unique sound.

No Man’s Valley hails from the Netherlands, but their feelings are universal. The band sings of common themes like work, not fitting in, and, on the opener and best song “Happy?,” societal pressures to seem happy. “Happy?,” serving as a single of types, is the most 60’s-inspired song on the EP. The guitar-and-synth at the song’s beginning sounds like something the Zombies would have jammed on, if they sang about struggling to be happy instead of an actual happy song. it has a slow-burning energy and has a classic feel to it. “Sleeping on the Job” is a much more ‘recent’ era song – another slow-burner, but one that angrily takes on the tediousness of working (specifically, at an ad agency). Again, the song’s guitar/synth combination is a winner, this time taking on a 70’s feel.

“Moon” is definitely the most experimental song on the release, to the point where it almost doesn’t fit. But it’s a great song. The nearly five-minute song is slower, and has a hefty instrumental midsection played over soundclips, before erupting into a big, synth-heavy climax. Lyrically, the song tackles a feeling of loneliness, with the frequently repeated “The moon is a good listener” speaking volumes. The follow-up, “Black Sheep,” the quickest, shortest and most energetic track. It might be the least interesting one, but it does capture the band’s 60’s inspirations pretty dead-on. Finally, “We Have Lost the Way” serves as a fitting finale. The midtempo song strips away the vocals for a majority (save a soundclip, again tackling the ad agency), for a rousing sendoff, before bringing them back in and ever so slowly fading out.

Listeners could strike many comparisons to No Man’s Valley. One of the most immediate would be Nick Cave. Cave’s music is eclectic, but with a strong personal identity. “…And Four Other Songs” has a consistent tone and energy, combining many styles while staying original. The vocals might be compared to the vocals of Scott Walker – deep, and almost crooning at times. It doesn’t always work on this EP, but it often reinforces the dark and introspective lyrics. No Man’s Valley find originality in established influences, and “…And Four Other Songs” only goes to show that.

“Happy?” is streaming on their bandcamp page, and the EP will be available for free on March 23rd.

-By Andrew McNally

Lakutis – “3 Seashells”

(Photo Credit: bandcamp)

Grade: A-

Key Tracks: “What the Fuck” “Too Ill For the Law”

Is “3 Seashells” a mixtape, or a debut album? It’s been billed as both. It’s the first full-length work dropped by Lakutis, and it has the cohesiveness of an album. But it has two >15 second skits, the longest track is only 3:06, and it was dropped on a Thursday mid-afternoon. So it’s both, or it’s neither, or it’s whatever it is. And that’s exactly what it should be.

This album/mixtape is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Lakutis. It’s short; not a single song overstays it’s welcome. And it’s diverse. Lakutis is known for being involved in Brooklyn’s Greedhead Records (started by Heems – Lakutis is on the Das Racist track “Booty in the Air”), but he’s in the hardcore scene too, and it comes through in the most subtle ways. Each song seems to have a rapidity to get to the end, like hardcore groups. And there’s a certain dark tone running throughout the album, especially towards the album’s second half.

This album’s (arguable) best song, “Too Ill For the Law,” was actually #6 on my subjective list of the best songs of 2013, one of the only four hip-hop songs (which also included kitty’s “R.R.E.A.M,” from her EP that he shows up on). For someone with so little material, Lakutis has the energy and confidence of a seasoned rapper. Throughout this album, Lakutis proves himself a better, more inventive and quicker rapper than nearly anyone out there today. “What the Fuck” directly channels old school rap, when it was just starting to get profane. “Black Swann” has more of a frightening vibe to it, pairing with the screaming at the end of “Skeleton”. And “Too Ill For the Law” has a verse done entirely in thirds. It’s a bold, bold verse, and it’s downright perfect.

“3 Seashells” has been awaited for quite some time, and Lakutis proves himself to be one of the most formidable underground rappers working today. The almost unassuming man formally known as Aleksey Weintraub might not seem like it, but whether it’s the simplest of rhymes or a complex triplets rhythm, Lakutis is simply one of the best out there right now. Get on it, people.

-By Andrew McNally

(Side note: I once had the pleasure of meeting Lakutis at a Heems show in a museum, but he looked like he was so turnt that he could barely see. Got on stage and did a perfect verse. What a hero).

Beck – “Morning Phase”

(Photo Credit: http://www.spin.com)

Grade: B+

Key Tracks: “Say Goodbye” “Wave”

Since revealing that he would finally be releasing a new album, Beck has been promoting “Morning Phase” as a sequel to his 2002 album “Sea Change.” Beck’s music before that album, and most of it since, has been characterized by boundless energy, an almost unnecessary amount of instruments, samples, and verses that were often made up on the spot and never replaced. “Sea Change,” however, is a moody, acoustic work inspired by the break-up with his girlfriend of nearly a decade. “Morning Phase” is definitely a sequel – but the kind of sequel that tells a new story, not one that just rehashes what was done before.

“Morning Phase” is marked by it’s lack of instruments. “Morning,” the album’s first track (save a brief string intro), is a haunting and almost painfully-timed song, and starts with just an acoustic rhythm. It characterizes the album – it’s slower, calmer and more emotional than any of Beck’s most recent albums. But unlike “Sea Change,” which got too moody and self-indulgent (justifiably), this album has a wide range of emotions. Although the whole album sounds dry and down – it’s deceiving. There are tracks like that, certainly, but “Don’t Let It Go” and “Blackbird Chain” have a subtly popping vibe. It’s hopeful, at least. “Morning Phase” is certainly a thematic sequel to “Sea Change,” in the proper way a sequel should be.

One of the things to analyze on any Beck album is how many instruments are present, and how they’re being used. To say “Morning Phase” is a largely acoustic work does not equate to it being less interesting musically. “Say Goodbye” and “Blue Moon” are marked by unpredictable guitar strumming and rhythms, “Unforgiven” trades the guitar for a warped, piano drone, and finale “Waking Light” suddenly erupts into a full band setting, for the first time on the album. But the shining light is the album’s midpoint. “Wave” is far and away the album’s best song, and already stands up to the best songs in Beck’s discography. The song has no percussion, instead driven by a full string section, composed by Beck’s father, David Campbell. Beck’s voice flies loud and long over the strings, accompanied with almost no other music. It’s a dark song, centered around some of the album’s lighter tracks, and it’s one of the most ambitious songs Beck’s ever done.

While “Sea Change” was a relentlessly dark album, brought on by one sharp event, “Morning Phase” is a more diverse work, and seems to be inspired by years of reflection in the first album’s aftermath. It’s a rare sequel that’s better than the first. It might take a few more listens than most Beck albums to really get into, but it’ll be just as memorable as his better works. Beck fans were probably waiting for another crazy album, and we got the opposite, and it’s every bit as pleasing as hoped for. It’s been a long six years, but Beck leaves no need for an apology.

-By Andrew McNally

St. Vincent – “St. Vincent”

(Photo Credit: http://www.themusicninja.com)

Grade: A

Key Tracks: “Birth In Reverse” “Prince Johnny”

St. Vincent’s previous album, the 2012 duet with David Byrne “Love This Giant,” got a little more of a mixed reaction than her previous three albums. But I haven’t stopped listening to the record – I know the whole album by heart. On the album, Byrne takes St. Vincent, moniker for the multi-talented Annie Clark, and brings her out of her comfort zone. Her previous albums were already wholly separate from anything else happening in alternative, but with Byrne’s introduction of horns and a bigger accompaniment, he brought her out of her timidity and almost forced her to take bigger and more fearless risks. Pictured above is Annie Clark, once slightly awkward in old Youtube clips, now purple-haired, staring down at us. “St. Vincent” is bolder and more fulfilling than any of her previous albums – and that’s not exactly a small statement.

Before I get to into the album, I should say, as I have said when necessary, that I am a huge huge St. Vincent fan. I learned “Birth in Reverse” by heart within 24 hours of it’s release. This year and last, I’ve spent Feb. 14th celebrating St. Vincentines Day, an excuse to get away from any standards usually set towards that date. And as I write this, I sit anxiously knowing I’ll be seeing her in ten days. If you’re reading this in Boston, look for me at the show, screaming, singing and just generally embarrassing myself.

So, “St. Vincent” is a step in a new direction. It’s bolder, and although it technically isn’t all that different from her other works, it has a more boundless feeling to it. Without really changing her sound, she has managed to still take herself in a new direction. That’s no more apparent than on the album’s best song, “Birth In Reverse.” The rough, almost factory-machine opening is a staunch stance against most other reserved indie singers. The song’s opening lyrics: “Oh what an ordinary day / Take out the garbage, masturbate” don’t exactly hurt that stance. St. Vincent has never been one to shy away from topics that might be taboo or a little warped, but on “St. Vincent,” she sounds more confident than she ever has. And with songs like “I Prefer Your Love,” with a chorus centered around “I prefer your love / To Jesus,” confidence is a needed trait.

As a fan of every one of St. Vincent’s albums, I have felt that the latter halves often don’t hold up to the former halves – whether because they’re a little too slow, or the mix of synth and guitar does not hold up as well. But “St. Vincent” is just solid throughout. The album’s first half is definitely better – all three of the pre-released songs are in the first five – but there are few forgettable moments. As always, she combines a heavy amount of synthesizers with her underrated guitar work. It works well across the album, but might work the best on the penultimate “Every Tear Disappears.” Only the guitar-heavy “Regret” and the midtempo closer “Severed Crossed Fingers” lag behind the rest of the tracks, not quite as original or memorable.

Although a strong singer in her own right, St. Vincent’s songs usually focus more on the music and lyrics. But there’s one song on this album, “Prince Johnny,” that’s worth mentioning for the vocals. The song builds to a long climax that’s beautifully sung, and drenched in an encompassing vocal echo that’s almost bone-chilling. It’s refreshing, in a way, to hear Clark finally devote a song more towards her vocals. Clark’s voice has never sounded even close to subpar – but a song like “Prince Johnny” has been needed for a while.

This album’s eponymous naming was kind of a happy accident, but it’s very fitting. This album is what St. Vincent does best – synthy, guitar-heavy indie-pop; equally weird and beautiful, in the best ways of both. And it’s self-titled, because it’s her best album yet. Each song is unique. Some simple, some complex, all great. I know it’s only February, but I’d wager that this will go down as one of the best alternative albums of 2014.

If you like this, try: The National’s “Trouble Will Find Me.” Maybe it came to mind because Clark herself provides back-up vocals on the album’s/band’s/2013’s best song, “Sea of Love.” But the album is related in that it’s similar to everything they have done prior, but just even better.

-By Andrew McNally

††† – “†††”

(Photo Credit: crossesmusic.com)

Grade: C+

Key Tracks: “Bitches Brew” “The Epilogue”

Fans of the band properly pronounced as “Crosses” might actually be rather disappointed in their full-length debut. The band, a side project featuring Chino Moreno from Deftones, Shaun Lopez from Far, and Chuck Doom, doesn’t actually have many new songs. The album, also called †††, is fifteen songs long, and it feels like it. There’s only one track under three minutes, and six over four minutes. But it includes every song from the band’s first two EP’s. They were working on a third EP, when they decided to turn it into a full album and include the other 10 songs. They reordered the songs so they show up as tracks from EP 1, EP 2, EP 3, EP 1, and so on, but it does not hide the fact that two-thirds of the album is not new material. And one of the five new songs, “The Epilogue,” isn’t exactly unfamiliar either, as the leadoff single that’s getting decent airplay.

With a needlessly overstuffed album, it might be easy to overlook the fact that it is still a pretty decent work. The band has a dark but simple electro-dream feel to it, and it’s obvious that Moreno and Lopez are enjoying a break from the intensity of their respective primary bands. Moreno only screams in one song, and a majority of them are more mid-tempo. While Deftones and Far might be in a hurry to make a loud, electric point, the songs presented here build gradually to smoother, electro-based climaxes. Some don’t build at all, staying put in a moody but accessible base.

So the album is very conflicting – it’s good, and fans of the hyper-specific genres that Crosses fall into will likely enjoy it. It’s got all the negative emotions you’d expect from a Deftones album, and never wallows in it. It has energy, but not too much. It’s just that the album is too long. It hovers around an hour, and it starts to get a little too repetitive around the halfway point. What should be a saving grace, the original and instrumental pseudo-interlude “†,” doesn’t show up until track 13, where feels a little more wasted. On an album with a number of pre-established songs, it would’ve been better to only take some from each EP. Still, it’s a solid debut. And there is some promise – the album’s two best songs, “The Epilogue” and “Bitches Brew” – are two of the new ones. “†††” might not win over any fans to dream-pop or dark electronica, but fans of the genres should find the album to be a quality release.

Modern Baseball – “You’re Gonna Miss It All”

(Photo Credit: bandcamp)

Grade: A-

Key Tracks: “Fine, Great” “Your Graduation”

Coming in at 12 tracks over only 30 minutes, Modern Baseball’s new LP might seem like a no frills, no punches blast of energy. But it really isn’t – the band takes their time on their new album. Their previous LP, “Sports,” was already one of the better albums of the whole 4th wave emo/pop-punk movement going on right now, but “You’re Gonna Miss It All” goes far beyond it. This album has a lot of depth and clarity, cementing itself directly in between emo and pop-punk, taking the best parts of both.

The album’s opener, “Fine, Great” starts acoustic. And although it builds into an electric chorus, it states the album’s tone – emotion over energy. Sure, later tracks like “Broken Cash Machine” and “Charlie Black” up the volume and energy, but only as the band sees fit. The band switches from big choruses to slower, acoustic rhythms at the drop of a hat, but does it seamlessly. The almost contradictory natures of the songs adds a complete, succinctness to the album. Where many bands in this movement have stuck to their sound (and done it well!), Modern Baseball have gone beyond themselves and expanded into foreign territories.

“Tryin’ hard / Not to look like I’m tryin’ that hard / Failing miserably at everything including that” opens the song “Two Good Things.” There’s a lot to be said about the vocals and lyrics on the album. The lyrics on the album are appropriately honest – as poetic as the Front Bottoms, and less hazy. The band seems to have the nailed the whole ‘realistic devastation’ that is common among emo bands today. And the vocals – refreshingly – are very clear, thanks to some clean production. While bands like Dads and TWIABPAIANLATD have even more devastating lyrics, they’re often lost in the more guttural vocals.

The album encompasses both pop-punk and emo at it’s finest. It’s simple but devastating, and sounds made by some average people just sitting around, encompassed by unexplainable (or totally explainable) emotions. Personally, I have been heavily into the 4th wave emo thing happening, and while I’ve been fond of Modern Baseball, I hadn’t loved them like I do Dads, the Menzingers, or Snowing. This album will definitely change that. Let “You’re Gonna Miss It All” become a forefront in the genre. The album can build you up and knock you down in exactly 30 minutes, and it’s both diverse and coherent. The album’s only real fault is that so many of the songs end so soon – there’s only one song over three minutes. And “I want more” isn’t so much a fault of the band as it is the listener. Modern Baseball have moved themselves into the forefront of a very packed genre.

If you like this, try: You Blew It!’s new record, “Keep Doing What You’re Doing,” almost as good as this one.

-By Andrew McNally

Fun Home – “Knit Into Place”

(Photo Credit: bandcamp)

Grade: B+

Fun Home started as a folk duo, with twin sisters Sara and Rose Savage. Although they’ve since expanded the band to include Daniel Hagendorf on drums and Benjamin Gardner on bass, and have adapted a more emo/indie sound, their folk presence is still a strong influence on their new “Knit Into Home” EP, released on Broken World Media. Four of the five songs end on lightened, often acoustic rhythms. The vocals have an unfiltered sweetness to them, not usually akin to emo groups. And even the lengths of the songs reflect an indie-folk element – the longest is 3:03.

“Stay Inside,” the opener, is a sweet and light midtempo song, with a very distant and almost apathetic attitude to it, using electric guitars but only barely. “Felt So Tired,” meanwhile, has more of a driving energy. The energy comes from a pounding snare drum during the verses that counteracts a bigger sound during the chorus. “Felt So Tired” might be the EP’s best song, with beautiful lyrics paired with a heartful energy that’s equal parts emo and folk.

“Bad Weather,” the EP’s midpoint, is the most driving track. It leans closer to emo than any other one, with a more simple, louder rhythm and some powerful lyrics. “Falling Asleep On the Floor” acts almost as an interlude – acoustic, quiet and pretty – although it is definitely a standalone song, and a strong one. It’s a great follow-up to “Bad Weather,” and one that shows the band is equally effective at quiet rhythms as they are loud blasts. The final track, “I’m Not There,” is the strongest vocally, with a very catchy vocal chorus. The song is actually the weakest musically, but it is saved by the strength of the vocals.

It’s snowing where I am right now, and it makes the perfect backdrop for “Knit Into Place.” It’s a cold weather album (one song is called “Bad Weather”). It has a warm feeling, produced by beautiful melodies and acoustic work mixed in alongside escalating, electric volumes. Fun Home aren’t exactly a “Fun” band, but the EP is consistently sweet yet drastic, and although it might take a few listens to fully appreciate, all four members are obviously talented musicians. Through the fusing music and captivating lyrics, the band manages to sound like average people, recording music not for profit or to make a statement, just to make something of their own – a big part of the current emo movement. “Knit Into Place” shows a lot of potential. The blending of folk, indie and emo works nearly every time. Let “Knit Into Place” be part of your snowed-in soundtrack.

The album is available for cassette purchase here and for streaming and downloading here.

If you like this, try: Laura Stevenson & the Cans, any album. Though the band doesn’t sound all that much like the Cans, they have all the same elements: poppy, catchy rhythms that are vastly different on every track; devastating lyrics; strong, strong vocals.

-By Andrew McNally