Les Issambres
Late fairytales
Fifth Week Records
This has been the surprise record of the year for me. Though they are often categorized as twee - a label their flute + acoustic guitar + alternating boy/girl singer sound would seem to merit - I'd plant this release firmly in the indie pop category, circa the late 1980s with its momentary flashes of bands like Throwing Muses and The Feelies. It's hard to use a flute without sounding horribly arty or just plain horrible, but here it offers a nice sunny dimension without ever stepping over into sugary or, worse yet, saccharine. The heavy bass no doubt helps this, as do the slightly flat but never annoying vocals. The songs are all good, and they have a really nice way of creeping under your skin so that while you're consciously getting hooked on one, you're unknowingly about to decide another is really your favorite. At nine songs in half an hour, it's too short, but it's a half hour well spent. Get one of the first 300 copies and it comes in a sweet hand-sewn sleeve.
- Nancy Baym