The
Motel Candlewasters
"Hierarchy of Hoaxes" CDR
Access
To Visions Records
Genres: lo-fi, indie pop
email the
band
Aug 7 - 13 2004 |
At first, Hierarchy of Heroes, the debut album for the
Boston-based Motel Candlewasters, sounds boring and
annoying. Lo-fi pop music has become so abundant that there's no
excuse for uninteresting product. However, just when you're
about to give this disc its life assignment as a coaster, the appeal
begins to shine through. The songs on this album take the wise route in terms of composition
- instead of loud, cluttered pieces, The Motel Candlewasters
keep their songs simple and charming. Although it takes awhile
to get accustomed to their formula (partially because Hierarchy
starts with the utterly painful "Starts With A Letter"),
many of these tunes are quite pleasing due to their infectious
songwriting and interesting, intelligent lyrics. "Like Boo
Radley Did," for example, is a memorable ditty laying campfire
vocals over a blanket of minor-key acoustic guitar. The lyrics
are largely image-based, although sweetly so. "I Promise To
Leave You Alone" is also quite endearing; its melody is very
unconventional, based on an electronic keyboard part. Although
the vocals are far from professional, they work well with the bedroom
recording feel - all in all, its a very original brand of pop
music. "Year of the Cough" and "Island Bowl"
are also quite rewarding, accessible listens, but The Motel
Candlewasters save the best for last; "Ends With An
Anthem" represents the essence of lo-fi pop - not only is its
conclusive chorus a treat, but the whole thing is as catchy as can be
imagined. It is basically just a long verse that builds to a
climactic finale, but somehow it works incredibly well - the
vocalist's earthy pitch-shifting really helps out.
So I ended up enjoying this album much more than I originally expected
to. It starts off slow, and takes some adjusting to, but overall
Hierarchy of Hoaxes is an incredibly rewarding and catchy
listen. The critic has been satisfied.
85%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 17 tracks + 2 hidden, distributed by the
band, released 2003] |
