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Tigerella:
Self-Titled
I know what youre thinking: What are those things on the cover? Why, theyre little tiny paper tigers, of course. Well, theyre actually just tiny paper boxes with ears and tails, but whatever. Thats not the point, because I prefer to look at them in the manner that Rabelais instructed his readers to look at his literature: as les silnes. These ancient little boxes looked like frivolous and useless objects intended to invoke laughter. In fact, they contained precious treasures and fine drugs. And that is exactly what one finds upon listening to Tigerella: beautiful little gems to heal the mind and heart, delicious little voyages to made-up lands, and serious (!) music. The album opens with four amazing tracks (The Curse of the Matador is my personal favorite). Each is packed with a lovable and lo-fi quality. The melodies are strong but not overwhelming, and there is a satisfactory level of lyrical abstraction to keep the listener guessing. Yvonne Ngs vocals are especially disarming with their charming purity and youthfulness. The majority of the songs seem to deal with the sadness of disappointment and the loss of opportunities and youth. These themes are dealt with in a particularly perspicacious and tasteful manner, making them utterly beautiful. The album hits a slow spot in the middle after the glorious opening. Caleb has the potential to be a decent song, but that is obscured by the super-embarrassing spoken intro involving robots that live in the sewer. In addition, the last tune of the album could be a charming attempt at jazz, but the listener may have difficulty overcoming the asinine lyrical subject of math-ridden love. Luckily, by the time the band gets to Jack London, they are back on track and the songs are strong again. Crash Course has a beautiful spaced out guitar quality (present on most of the album, but exemplified here) that is reminiscent of Galaxie 500 or Yo La Tengo. Despite a few sketchy moments on the album, Tigerella has produced a fabulous debut album. The good moments far outweigh the bad by painting very real portraits of complex emotions that can be difficult to capture. Serious indie fans will not be disappointed. Go ahead; open the so-called silne to see what you might find.
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