Like Pioneers
(Abandoned Love)
Fans of Like Pioneers' progenitor bands - Bound Stems, the Narrator, Chin Up, Chin Up -- will find a few familiar strands in this new conglomeration, but they're much more likely to hear the pop sensibilities of The New Pornographers, only without all the big names. Singer-guitarist Bobby Gallivan and Janie Porch harmonize like A.C. Newman and his various lady friends, especially on the near-perfect power pop of "Gift From a Holiday" and a wistful slice of intelligent, Brit-inflected pop called "English Garden." The pump organ-and-glock accented "Teakettles No. 1" and "Crab Candy" tilt toward the more complex structures of Dan Bejar's circus carney compositions, less the cryptic lyrics and with debatable success.
Thankfully, Like Pioneers tap into enough other elements to keep them from being a cheap Pornographers knock-off. There's an early Superchunk vibe (plus more keys) that lends fire to the sublimely catchy "Polkadot" and disheveled pop-punk of "Metal Oscar," while the poignant "Some People" and "Exit Row" sound like they might have emanated from a slightly more optimistic Handsome Furs. Really the only track that sounds more like it came from the fractured and frenetic universes of Bound Stems or the Narrator is "Ike," notable for its shifting tempos. All 10 songs were pounded out in the studio over a three-day weekend, and they exude a comforting "hot mic" feel that gives the middling hooks a welcome push into the just-memorable-enough category.
DOWNLOAD: "Metal Oscar," "Some People" JOHN SCHACHT
