Creeper Lagoon
I Become Small and Go
NICKELbag
Everyone loves an enigma. San Francisco’s masters of lo-fi soft rock, Creeper Lagoon, lay a big fat enigma on the music scene with a sound that simply cannot be categorized. While a tendency will lean towards shoving them into the brightened corners along with Pavement, there’s a bit of the Pink Floyd, Fountains of Wayne, and even the Wallflowers scattered about this particular room. Look to “Tracy” for an essence of their dead-clever lyrical poetry – “The red light shines in back of me/ And I’m tired of Satan’s company” – flowing as effortlessly as water over smooth stones. The sung-spoken vocals and shuffling melody of “Tracy” and the one other, coincidentally named-after-a-woman tune, “Sylvia,” recall Marcy Playground. “Empty Ships” comes on with transistor radio fidelity that bursts forth into a deep humming resonance. The ascending piano chords of “Dreaming Again” raise the ghost of Steely Dan, while the song’s circular structure segues verse-chorus-verse in a “100 bottles of beer on the wall” fashion. The instrumental “Prison Mix” drapes Middle Eastern chanting over flute, bass and the feather light touch of cymbals. Creeper Lagoon have the songs that will set them apart from their would-be peers. As a favorite children’s story becomes a cherished friend, so do these quirky, somewhat deranged and always heart-felt songs endear themselves to the listener upon repeated listening. It’s a keeper for the hidden track alone. NICKELbag Records, 3512 W. Sunset Blvd. #200, Los Angeles, CA 90026; http://www.nickelbag.com/
