steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

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]