Neighbors - Puros Exitos
2011 self-released
Seattle's Neighbors sound like an anomaly for 2011; no freakout jams, no epic dance floor fillers, no "weird" instruments (not that we're against any of those things). Just four dudes writing solid songs.
Somebody once said "comparisons are odious" but similarities to the Wedding Present are inescapable, especially on Puros Exitos opener "Basket of Bees." Guitars in overdrive, the singer intones on the idiosyncratic habits of girls and the torture they inflict upon the boys that pine for them, and it's weird for it not to be the voice of David Gedge. But that's OK, because it's also a really good song. And there are a bunch more good songs on this album, many of them sounding less like the Wedding Present and more like Pavement but I'll end those odious comparisons there, because when everything comes together it's Neighbors. This is the sort of band that probably inspires a devoted following of adoring, singing-along fans in their hometown, and a slow game of catch-up for the rest of us. Pick up Puros Exitos for free at neighbors.bandcamp.com.
