Pterodactyl
(Brah)
Pterodactyl comes out of a noisy, aggressive, art-punk tradition, a white noise enclave of tortured guitars and rapid-fire drum rampages. They record, after all, for Oneida's imprint, and once shared a guitarist with Seconds. Their earliest records were more likely to draw comparisons to Lightning Bolt or Ex Models than Brian Wilson. Yet somewhere along the way, this Brooklyn band seems to have been infected with the Animal Collective/Grizzly Bear virus. Their third album, Spills Out, downplays frenetic energy for layered vocals, harmonies, tunes and a nod towards pop.
Not that the fire's been entirely doused. "Nerds," an album highlight, alternates explosively drummed, rhythmically intricate intervals with sweeping choral harmonies. "Zombies", another good one, drapes multi-colored vocal counterparts over the twitch and twitter of no wave. Like Parts & Labor, Pterodactyl hitches melody to electro-shorted bursts of energy, yet unlike that band, its members employ tunefulness not to underline punk stridency, or even to make a contrast to it, but as an end in itself.
At times, Pterodactyl wedges in too many layers, so that the parts blur together in a formless murk. At others, the vocals seem overly decorative, complicated for the sake of complexity rather than as an integral part of a song. Still, in a year when dozens of bands are channeling Animal Collective and more than a few dipping into Grizzly Bear-Bon Iver-Fleet Foxes style harmonies, Pterodactyl punches up the ante. Spills Out swathes its prickly energies in soft, ear-friendly cotton candy, balancing bite and sweetness, urgency and pretty reassurance.
DOWNLOAD: "Nerds", "Zombies" JENNIFER KELLY
