 Many
Birthdays
"The Abstract Door" CDR
Red
Cake Records
Genres: indie pop, indie rock, lo-fi
band
website
May 3 - 9 2004 |
The Abstract Door is quite a mixed bag. In twenty
songs, Many Birthdays have managed to create a thoroughly
engaging - and thoroughly confusing - album. These tunes do not
adhere to any one style; instead, they bask in their own eclectic,
unpredictable nature. Some of this is strictly
experimental. Some is festively melodic. Some is squiggly
and electronic. This mixture may be somewhat off-putting to your
average indie pop fan, but I believe there's enough here to maintain
one's attention for quite some time.
Many Birthdays' DIY spirit is quite in the spotlight on The
Abstract Door. "Rocks and Sound," for example,
relies on a catchy vocal melody sung atop bouncy drums and sparse
electronics. As a single, it isn't the strongest tune, but it
does make for a neat nugget in the context of this disc's other
nineteen songs. "Better To Walk" is a rock-based tune
not far from The The's "Global Eyes" (off of Naked
Self), "Ironic Tunnel" is a bit of spacey folk-rock, and
"130th Dream" is pure instrumental bliss, as catchy as all
heck.
This album is extremely fun. Its variety makes for an
entertaining, exciting listen, and it's quite clear throughout that Many
Birthdays have a strong love for music. Forget pretension -
this is where it's at.
86%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 20 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |
