Imaginary
Bill
"Breaking the Ground Loop" CD
Sportin'
Company
Genres: indie rock, rock, alt rock
Dec 13 - 19 2004 |
I'm pretty familiar with Imaginary Bill. I reviewed their
last two releases rather favourably, and was looking forward to
lending Breaking the Ground Loop an ear.
And hey, I wasn't disappointed. Sure, this isn't the greatest indie
rock album I'm every likely to hear - but it's far from the
worst. Imaginary Bill know their way around a pop hook,
and their songwriting fluency is on full, spread-eagle display
here. Their attitude is carefree and loose, but their songs are tight and melodic, with a radio-friendly sound and some
better-than-average production values. My favourite tunes were
"Special" and "Charles M," both of which are
seductively dark and yet predictably catchy. On a different end
of the spectrum, "Cookie" is a cheery number that borders on
pop-punk, and "Bleed" is generic but very effective.
None of these songs are real duds, so the album's flow isn't tainted
by any sore spots.
Breaking the Ground Loop is a catchy, inoffensive rock
record that maintains the listener's attention and avoids wearing out
its welcome - partially because of how short it is. It has a few
"single" type songs that could garner some interest, but
overall it's a consistently solid (if unspectacular) effort. For a
solid bit of entertainment, you can't go wrong here.
80%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
10 tracks, distributed by CD
Baby, released 2004] |