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Last Updated: Oct 16th, 2008 - 20:17:53 |
Think folk rock with the volume turned up to 11, a punk rock Bob Dylan, or Neutral Milk Hotel for the 21st century. All accurately describe Sleeping In The Aviary's debut album Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel.
The quartet from Madison, Wisc. plays an interesting blend of upbeat folk rock with some offbeat instrumentation, such as the accordion and the saw. Their catchy lo-fi pop sound is completely offset by the dark lyrics of singer/guitarist Elliot Kozell.
Songs about heartbreak, death, and loss are almost disguised by the rocking rhythms and melodies, but the emotion of Kozell's voice shines through with shrill shrieks and yelps scattered throughout the album.
Highlights include "Gas Mask Blues," which uses classic twelve-bar blues form to deliver a sinister tale of lost love, before exploding into a total, freak-out crescendo. And "Girl In The Ground" is a big, group sing-a-long about topics that probably shouldn't be addressed in such harmonious, social format.
Just when you think you've got Sleeping In The Aviary figured out, they throw something new into the mix that will keep you interested and eager for more. This is a band that knows how to craft memorable pop songs while remaining fresh and new, and their grotesquely-named debut is oddly beautiful and massively promising. With such an encouraging debut, Sleeping In The Aviary is definitely a band to listen for.
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