Quaintness, being the
twee-pop raison d'etre, is an apt way to frame this Ann Arbor band's
concise EP. The work of Tim Sendra and Fred Thomas,
this disc bounces along in a cheery lo-fi haze, bringing to mind
names like Boyracer, Sarah Records, Happy Happy Birthday To
Me, and that ilk. All things considered, this is pretty
straightforward DIY indie pop - high on hooks and cutesiness, but
admittedly a little bland. Consider breezy "Buried in Snow," a
wintertime's yearning for California sun, crafted out of a simple
guitar strum, a toy-ish keyboard buzz, and a chipper tambourine
rhythm. Charming ol' fun, but not the sort of thing you file
alongside your Pavement albums in terms of longevity. The
band's biggest accomplishment is the mellow "I Hit the Board," a
delightfully nuanced bit of pop that breaks out of its aimlessness
by way of its expansive prettiness.