International Falls
The Plateau
( www.internationalfalls.ca ) 2006

I believe nature sometimes overcomes nurture in the best ways. Sometimes musicians seem to pour forth a natural sense of place--to channel certain remote locales through their songs, and the Langley, BC collective International Falls definitely have no borders.

Their lo-fi aesthetic is at once apparent, and could easily have been ripped from the Dios (malos) hometown of Hawthorne, California, yet it doesn't have the "we can only guess what it's like" auspices that gave the Irish band The Thrills their fake-sur sound. By the third song, "A Place to Flea," we find a reinvigorated Pavement/Of Montreal/Spinto Band amalgamation that has us up, playful, and ready to groove. Yet each successive song throws more spice into the mix, showing us how deftly their craft extends. Minisongs like "On a Limb" are so carefully composed that they seem almost lazy in execution. No child of the 80s escaped without a solid syntendo sensibility, and their "Ghouls 'n' Ghosts" holds up well. On the whole, they come across as a more socially adept Unicorns, a mellower Minders, and a more stable Papas Fritas. Their Rooney contemporaries will adore their sunny Canadian pop, and, like the rest of us who are privy, await impatiently the next release.

Note: For some reason, they have limited themselves to a vinyl-only release. Please do yourself a favor and grab a copy or request the CD or mp3 format be released. Maybe they just think it's more trouble than it's worth.

Ridge™ :: (April.of.06)