The Princeton Reverbs Colonial
The Princeton Reverbs Colonial… and the Flute to Float the Soldier’s Sword
Red Carpet Ring
The Princeton Reverbs Colonial is a pillar of the Red Carpet Ring label. RCR, also home to Fable Factory, My Place in Space, and Micro-ondes, has become a sort of fringe outlet for e-6ish projects. This is the first full-length CD by the Reverbs, who are on their way to becoming avatars of indie-pop. Flute To Float is leaps and bounds ahead of their last, vinyl-only effort, Christ on the Foreheads of 144,000. Most notable, the melodies and singing are much tighter on the new CD. What’s fascinating about the PRC sound is that, although unmistakably post-Neutral Milk Hotel, lo-fi indie, it hearkens back to the heady days of southern jangle; often sounding like the dB’s, Love Tractor, the Feelies, REM, or Let’s Active. Songs such as “Salute of the Angel,” “He is the Vine, We are the Branches, Make a Joyful Noise,” and “Our Feet Do Not Suffer To Be Moved” are reminiscent of the best of college radio in the mid-Eighties. Without a doubt, the standout number on Flute To Float is “We Sing the Blessings of Hope for the Weary.” It’s a melodic powerhouse. The tune snakes its way through a melancholic vocal lament/plea which in the end morphs into one of those gothic, circus-like moments, evoking Neutral Milk Hotel or Of Montreal. All in all, Flute To Float is an outstanding CD, definitely for fans of energetic, thoughtful indie-pop.
Red Carpet Ring, RFD1 Box 412C, Claremont, NH 03743; http://www.redcarpetring.com
