Commerce
(Littlest Sounds)
Commerce is one of those little bands who could - and did. The Johnson City, Tenn., quartet may call its record label Littlest Sounds but the seven songs on this mini-album are big and bold and beautiful.
To skip through the tunes is to touch down on a number of well-known indie-pop avatars, from Arcade Fire (the quietly effervescent, subtly anthemic "Ivory Buttons," with its massed choir-style chorus) and Death Cab For Cutie (the buoyantly upbeat "In Your Bones") to Bright Eyes ("A Slip of the Tongue" has a jaunty, strummy, finger-snapping vibe) and even the late, great Beulah ("Questions About California," which in it own sunshine pop way, does conjure tingly visions of the original Goldrush State). What Happens Now isn't a case of paint-within-the-Pitchfork-approved lines, however, for these young men craft consistently engaging tunes, each bearing its own trapdoor-sprung surprises; within the space of a single song, the listener gets taken on a series of journeys that, all tallied, add up to an eminently satisfying experience.
Just the aforementioned "In Your Bones" - the album's unqualified masterpiece, and the kind of tune that should be on every self-respecting blogger's MP3 roster - will make you pinch yourself with delight even if you're only an occasional scholar of classic pop. I hear Death Cab, but I also hear echoes of the sixties British Invasion, seventies glam, eighties powerpop, and of course nineties alterna-rock. When those final, grandiose power chords come crashing down, it's the best bit of sheer sonic catharsis I've gotten all year. You can feel the magic, too: all ya gotta do is believe in it.
Standout Tracks: "In Your Bones," "Questions About California" FRED MILLS
