Museyroom “Pearly Whites”
If you like an immersive mix of pop, folk, psychedelia and ambient noise then you’ll need to hear this trio of musicians from Brooklyn and Philadelphia. Jack Donovan (guitar/vocals) and Ben Cohen (bass/keyboards) are joined by drummer Matt Coppola to form Museyroom. Full of lush atmospherics and dream-like harmonies, the opening title track mixes Gregorian-like harmonies with deep-reverb organs. “Three Stones” showcases a gentle falsetto that rises with the chorus, and “Ballad” is the only structured pop gem that uses all these elements.
Museyroom’s music doesn’t linger too long in one style, and like Field Music it weaves a tight cloth of sounds and half-themes. Once in a while a melody pops out in “Ranges” and “Sleeper.” The prog rock-like “Siren” is also very impressive and its hard to find anything here predictable. But its the amazing instrumentation that’ll win you over.
Papernut Cambridge “Love the Things Your Lover Loves”
A collective of artists led by Ian Button on Gare Du Nord Records, it has a mix of catchy folk & glam — try to imagine a folk version T-Rex. A slow march beat lays down the album’s title track, with nice electric guitar accents. The laid back theme “The Lady Who Told A Lie” gets you on board, but its the Big Star like “Radio” that won me over with the cowbell and fuzzed out riffs. Then we get the deceptively catchy “Chartreuse” which sounds like Ringo’s “Octopus’ Garden” growing in Syd Barrett’s yard.
More gems are to be found along the album’s theme of communication, like the layered psychedelic “Mirology” and the country fiddle gives “I’m Stranded” a beautiful resonance. “Spell It Out” uses the bass guitar to great effect, and although not every track will stick — enough do to make this LP worth checking out.