It's been a while since Eastern Phoebes' last release, Eggplant. And by a long time, I mean a full seven months. Seriously, these guys just keep churning out the songs. According to the band's FAQ, "We love to record our songs as quickly and simply as possible. Much of it is spontaneous, and hastily captured (though never rushed).”
Here's the thing: it doesn't sound "hastily-captured." These are good, quirky, somewhat old-timey (the word I always use to describe them) songs with surprisingly high production values.
So what does Lion Gardiner sound like? Well, it's a little bit Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles, a little bit Beach Boys, and a little bit Belle & Sebastian. Really, that's the best way to describe this album. The highlights from this one are probably the uber-catchy "Heaven is a Knife," the Beach Boys-esque "Longhorn Ocarina", the Dear Catastrophe Waitress-era B&S sounding "An Apology Song," and the cleverly-titled "I Love (To Share a House With)You.”
This said, this album isn't without it's flaws. Well, one flaw. I almost feel like I'm stretching to find something negative to say here, but a few of the songs, such as "Heaven is a Knife" and "Narragansett," end rather abruptly, making them sound almost unfinished. But you know, if that's my only complaint, it's still a complement.
So yeah…Lion Gardiner is pretty great. Get it for free from Eastern Phoebes' Bandcamp page.
Full article here.
