Shellito
Benevolent Laser
How About Rabbits Records
Pleasantly quirky and rough-hewn electro-pop that harks back to a simultaneously more guileless and brave time – I’m thinking Rough Trade circa ’80s, when it wasn’t weird at all to listen to Fad Gadget and the Fire Engines at the same time. Oh, there I go again. Benevolent Laser doesn’t quite feel fully formed and can’t get past the more expected indie-pop flourishes at times – seeming more appropriate for a basement party with a group of friends. Then things really take flight with “Piggy Band,” a dead ringer for the brittle majesty of EARLY New Order and the Cure, circa 17 Seconds. Beautiful! I also highly recommend the stop-start contortions and handclaps that form all the best parts of “Jesus Loves You” and the epic sweep of “Somehow Good,” which is nearly worthy of Talk Talk. The rest? Not yet up to it, we’ll see. Perhaps great things await. And if not, three good songs are more than most can manage these days.
Shellito: http://www.shellito.com
