The Invisible Cities

"Watertown" CD

Noisyfrog Records

Genres: indie pop, indie rock

Jan 24 - 30 2005

Ever since they sent me a solid demo a couple of years back, I've been eagerly anticipating The Invisible Cities' debut album.  Few bands these days can create melodies like these folks, and even fewer are fronted by a singer as blissfully-voiced as the Cities' Sadie Contini.  I'm tempted to fit this under the "bliss" category at times, though Watertown's mix of styles calls for a less typical tag like "sometimes dreamy indie pop/rock."

But who cares about classification when an album is this enjoyable?  At times loud, at times quiet, these twelve songs take the listener on a fun trip through the band's unique brand of pop songwriting.  There are some strong rock-oriented songs here ("Oh Yeah," "Tentacle"), but the best material is the lusher soft-pop.  "Birthday" is an instantly lovable little pop ditty, while "Watertown" and "Shooting Star" help to draw you into a comfortable, cozy mood.  Even the less infectious songs have their merits; "Double Fisted" and "Bumper Cars" may not be the most notable tunes on this record, but they are far from unrewarding.  As far as self-released indie pop debuts go, this is about as good as it gets.  Don't miss out.

88%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 12 tracks, distributed by the band, released 2004]