Bad Apples
"The Autumn People" CD
Seksound
Genre: lazy autumn afternooning
Estonia
March 2010 |
On opener "Love,"
things go just right for Estonia's Bad Apples. Swell Belle
& Sebastian warmth, Sarah Records quaintness, and a tinge of
shoegaze reverb align sweetly in a radiant gust of slack pop, making
for a mellow stroll of autumn melody. Unfortunately, it turns out to
be an early highlight of an inconsistent -- albeit hardly dreadful
-- sophomore album.
To be clear about
it, The Autumn People is frequently a rewarding listen, but
it is ultimately quite hit-or-miss. The challenge inherent in
this record, which pilfers sixties-era pop elements and weds them to
understated twee traditions, is its overly lackadaisical approach to
songwriting. Sure, The Autumn People boasts a charmingly
casual feel, but this laissez-faire mode of thinking too often
imperils the songs' melodies and structures. While on lush,
Moog-laced "Charming Boy" and bossa nova adorned "Play Time," the
band mines delightful territory not far off from that explored by
Camera Obscura, they don't fare nearly as well on lifeless
closer "Hey Doctor" and weak "At the Expedition," the latter of
which is wonderfully atmospheric but utterly flat aside from a
spacey chorus.
Bad Apples boast a
lot of promise on this ten track record, but they also stumble over
their feet from time to time -- nothing new for a young band, of
course. As spring approaches, The Autumn People isn't
necessarily the first album that comes to mind; nevertheless,
several of these songs will no doubt be left bouncing around in my
head as the bright snow turns to grey Montreal sludge.
bad
apples' myspace
Michael
Tau
[Vitals: 10 tracks, distributed by
the
label,
released 2009] |