 Crix
Crax Crux
"Camel & Needle" CDR
Frigital
Records
Genres: lo-fi, experimental pop
Ben Moore
6633 Greenfern Lane
Jacksonville, FL 32277
Mar 28 - Apr 3 2005 |
Crix Crax Crux, already a fixture on the new lo-fi Frigital
label, has a truly unique style - something not so common on today's
diluted scene of GBV and Pavement followers. These ten
songs have a very full, large atmosphere, despite the home-produced nature
of the record. The press sheet's comparisons to The Walkmen
and Spoon are fairly apt, though Ben Crix's style is
still distinctly his own. These songs' melodies are surprisingly
effective, especially due to their unconventional delivery - Crix
doesn't go for traditional pop song formula, but instead hides his
hooks in unpredictable song structures and spacey blocks of sound. If you give yourself time to adjust to the style,
this record may really impress you. At times, listening is as
exhilarating as discovering Guided By Voices or Smog for
the very first time. You feel as if you've clued on to something
great, something that everyone should listen to. This record can,
at times, be a bit pretentious and long-winded; the more
experimental bits serve to create mood and add to the disc's very
impressive whole - but they are not entirely necessary. "Not At All" and "Threading
It" are two of Crix's most inspired moments on this record
- the first is a touching, echoey pop song with a very epic feel (it
reminded me of A Silver Mt. Zion's "Movie (Never
Made)"), while the latter is a trippy, expansive instrumental
that you won't be able to resist. Overall, this record drags
at times - but there's just enough incredible lo-fi pop here to keep
you listening for ages. I dig.
84%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
10 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |
