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Review - Tilly and the Wall: O |
OTeam Love Records
If you know Tilly and the Wall and you’ve liked their previous albums, rest secure in the knowledge that you will love their utterly charming third full-length album. It follows the same style established on 2004’s Wild Like Children and refined on 2006’s Bottoms of Barrels, but it won’t bore you.
For those of you who don’t know Tilly and the Wall, here is the basic recipe: they are an indie-pop boy-girl group risen from the ashes of Conor Oberst’s first band and signed to his Team Love label. They have a tap dancing percussionist and dual female vocalists. They also named themselves after a children’s book and have the kind of everything-but-the-kitchen sink instrumental variety endemic to bands from the middle of nowhere. Sounds too twee to be true? Thankfully, their lyrics smart like a towel snap – simultaneously juvenile and wickedly unexpected.
For a real taste of Tilly and the Wall’s sound, skip the so-so nostalgic opener “Tall Tall Grass,” and save the Whites Stripes-ish “Pot Kettle Black” for later. Proceed directly to “Cacophony,” “I Found You,” “Alligator Skin” and “Chandelier Lake.” In particular, “Chandelier Lake” stands out as the most experimental. Toy train whistles mingle with dark lyrics like “The banks are stained with blood and rain (toot toot)/ where the water meets the land/ a secret (toot) there, they’ll never share (toot tooooooot)/ a code of silence.” The conceit looks ridiculous in print, but on the album it’s a self-assuredly manic ride.
“Pot Kettle Black” and album closer “Too Excited” pack the biggest surprise: how well sweetly sinister Tilly and the Wall can project some honest-to-gosh anger. Guitars get positively mean as Kianna Alarid and Neely Jenkins forgo their light sopranos in order to spit out anti-snark lyrics à la Blondie’s “Rip Her to Shreds” on “Pot Kettle Black”, and they gleefully repeat a hearty “Fuck You!” on “Too Excited.” Profanity and tap-dancing, together at last.
-Callie Enlow
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