Java.Oct.2016

RØÅR
Impossible Animals
SOME MAGICAL ANIMAL
Some Magical Animal
EL WEST
El West EP
Phoenix has produced its fair share of indie pop
wunderkinds, including the likes of Stephen Steinbrink,
Diners, Dogbreth and, last but far from least, RØÅR.
Four years in the making and the first record since
2010’s I Can’t Handle Change, Impossible Animals is
probably everything RØÅR fans could have hoped for
in a full-length album. Beginning with the melancholy
chamber pop of “Dream,” it feels like Owen Evans’
invitation to his magical mystery tour of highbrow pop.
The songwriting here is on the level of Jason Falkner,
Jellyfish and those who have studied the movements of
Brian Wilson. While “Ghost (of 7th St.)” may begin with
a vocoder effect, it breaks down into SMiLE-era Beach
Boys pretty quick. There’s a touch of psychedelic reverie
throughout, recalling mid-period Beatles and pre-Tommy
Who. “Explosions of Birds” explores Rubber Soul meets
Pet Sounds territory, and it’s one of the more arresting
tracks on the album. “Little Sisters” is presented as
a haunting choir for the first half while it works itself
toward a fading lullaby for the second.
The vocoder returns as a robotic introduction to the
Phil Spector dream pop of “Hope,” while there’s a
Four Freshmen feel to the harmonic introduction to
the hypnogogic “Goldfinch Nocturne,” putting the
dream back in Dream Pop. The rousing dance-ability
of “Theophobia” brings you out of otherwise lush
textures only to return back to them, then leads you
to “Fading Kitten Syndrome,” which is one of the
more experimental compositions found here.
RØÅR approaches Disintegration-era Cure and
Elephant 6-era indie pop with “Truck Stop Tiger,”
which is a single in waiting. “The Ocean” is the finale
to the album, and it’s something of a mournful pianodriven
piece that feels as much like The Beach Boys as it
does The Flaming Lips at their Soft Bulletin heights. It’s a
stunner of a closing number.
One local album that should be topping best-of lists
this year is the highly anticipated debut full-length
from Some Magical Animal. Jake Greider (vocals,
guitar), Rick Heins (guitar, pedal steel), David Libman
(drums) and Jess Pruitt (bass) are Some Magical
Album, and their self-titled album is another winner
out of STEM Recordings this year.
Greider, the singer/songwriter fronting the band,
seems to access the same mystical realm that Elliot
Smith, Nick Drake, both Buckleys and Chris Bell
divined in their songs decades ago. Throw a hint of
Gram Parsons into the mix and you get the sense of
how this album is going to sound. In short, it’s soulcomforting
music that can play over and over again
on a lazy afternoon, with each spin more enjoyable
than the last.
Even when they approach Radiohead on their
glorious “Hello,” you can still hear the basic song
on guitar that it emerged from. The album is best
taken as a whole and repeatedly. There is something
intrinsically uplifting about it, as well. I first heard it
on a day I was feeling down and it completely turned
me around.
This record seems like it could be one clever
marketing campaign away from being picked up by
an indie label, because it’s right at home with artists
currently getting national attention. It is great modern
American music, and when “Mama Sparrow” sounds
like a Ryan Adams tune, it doesn’t seem out of place.
Nothing seems out of place; it’s a true listening
experience from beginning to end.
Sounds Around Town By Mitchell L. Hillman
El West may be going for the title of “Best Debut
Band of 2016” with their slew of amazing shows all
summer long and their four-song debut EP. Appearing
at the start of the year with a standalone single,
“Marauder,” El West has emerged as a local favorite.
Whether it is the electric energy of their live shows
or their polished, radio-ready recordings, El West
makes some of the most engaging music around.
The magic is mainly found between the booming
voice of Bryant Powell and the guitar voodoo of
Thomas Brenneman, but the rhythmic backbone of
Ricky Powell on bass and Marty Welker on drums
is pretty unwieldy, as well. Powell’s vocal delivery
is right up front in the mix, as it should be. It comes
across as a cross between Brandon Flowers of The
Killers and Dave Vamian of The Damned.
The opener, “Half to Death,” is an immediate rocker
that gets you into their sound, easing you into sonic
dimensions, holding you in thrall. “Santiago,” the
closest thing to a ballad here, wears something of a
gothic mantle, with the chiming guitars and Powell’s
voice adding that vibe. This song just screams for a
very cinematic music video.
A sure-fire single is “Olivine,” with its easy-on-theears,
alt-guitar opening, recalling the heyday of the
New Romantics on MTV. Powell’s vocal hook on
this number is particularly catchy amid washes of
accessible, radio-ready guitar. Still, it’s the finale
of “Thin Air” that is sure to garner fans from coast
to coast. It’s their finest song to date in the aim of
writing a fantastic alt-rock hit.
For more on these events and other highlights of
the Phoenix music scene, check out Mitchell’s blog
at http://soundsaroundtown.net. For submissions
or suggestions contact him at mitchell@
soundsaroundtown.net
JAVA 33
MAGAZINE