| |
|
|
MAKE OUT
(Merge)
|
|
|
|
|
|
The fact that this North Carolina trio’s debut opens with one of the loveliest little local-locale songs ("Back to Boston") in memory is only the cherry sitting atop a cake of tangy pop confections. In the same casually rumpled way that Fountains of Wayne — or maybe a slightly less ironic, straighter Imperial Teen — volley melodic hooks and lob self-lacerating salvos, the Rosebuds conjure a world of first dates, unrequited crushes, indie-record shops, and the kind of bakeries and gymnasiums that Jonathan Richman celebrates. They like their retro-pop fast, loose, and wiry, with lots of adenoidal ba-ba-ba, whoah-whoah, and yeah-yeah-yeah vocal harmonies riding across a Feelies-like clatter of urgently strummed guitars. Kelly Crisp’s roller-rink organ is a pleasantly offbeat addition to "Kicks in the Schoolyard" and "My Downtown Friends." "Waiting for the Carnival" is a textbook case of contagious pop euphoria, "Signature Drinks" a haiku sketch of moody capitulation. The album clocks in at a mere 36 minutes, whizzing by like the giddy rush of a teenage crush — at once indelible and fleeting.
|
