Binary Dolls
"Too Much Thinking Sinks
Ships" CD
Perilymph Records
Genre: indie rock
April 2006 |
Dark, suspicious pop is the name of the game for Binary Dolls,
an intriguing threepiece out of Portland, Oregon. They claim to sound
something like a cross between Interpol and Radiohead
which is probably an apt comparison, though their use of keyboards
lends them a distinct sort of noir-esque feel. The whole record has a
sense of momentum and urgency behind it, as well as a distinct
intellectualism - the lyrics are verbose and rich in figurative
language. "I am the only master of the ten key" (you gotta love that
confidence) is the album's first and most immediately noteworthy
performance; its chilling atmosphere and infectious melody will earn
it a place in your head quite quickly. The melodic and moving "I Used
to be a Man of Indecision" also caught my ear - if any thing's gonna
be a "pop single" from this disc, it's this... heck, I wouldn't be
surprised if they reviewed this track on Pitchfork. Also worthy of
mention are the dire keyboard strokes of "Double Barrel" and the
emotional falsettos on "Sheep's Blood". Occasionally the band's
formula becomes a bit long-winded (the songs aren't short, and the
sound can be a bit homogeneous), but the album's playability seems to
be pretty high regardless. Too Much Thinking is a very strong
independent release, and is worth taking a serious look at.
86%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 10 tracks, distributed by
CD
Baby, released 2005] |
