Eternal Summers
Correct Behavior
(Kanine)
★★★★ (out of 5 stars)
The sophomore album by these Virginia jangle-pop darlings is their first big step beyond precious lo-fi simplicity and toward something real. They're still charming, they're just more. They added a third member, but the deeper songwriting and real conviction here are what give them their biggest jack of substance and salience yet. It all combines to make this record pop like a motherfucker with a sharpness and fullness that, for them, is astounding. "Wonder" and "You Kill" are ringing '80s rock perfection. – Bao Le-Huu
(Eternal Summers open for Crocodiles Wednesday July 18 at the Social.)
Everyday Ghosts
Everyday Ghosts
(self-released)
★★★★ (out of 5 stars)
Recalling the earlier, less heady days of Seattle rock, local scene fixture Robert Johnson debuts his latest project with a collection as awash in nostalgia as it is rife with the electricity of scattershot potential. Both Johnson and teen lead guitarist Austin Glatt (solidly supported by Richard Becker and Jeremy Meier on bass and drums, respectively) crackle when the tempo demands it. But Johnson's unavoidably Vedder-esque, growl-coo-growl delivery settles a bit once Glatt's scorching solos (remember those?!) start carrying thematic weight later on, especially on closers "Simple Sound" and "Captain."
– Justin Strout
(CD release show 8 p.m. Friday July 13 at the Plaza Live. Admission is $7-$10.)
Twin Shadow
Confess
(4ad)
★★★ (out of 5 stars)
I never thought I would say this, but this record is entirely too indebted to the '80s. Although Forget, Twin Shadow's 2010 debut full-length, managed to delicately thread synth-pop homage, '90s dream-pop, and modern production techniques, Confess finds George Lewis drowning in a sea of compressed tones and saccharine, soft-pop balladry. It sounds less like a shimmering, gauzy take on your New Wave records and more like the flipside of that Phil Collins tape your mom always played in the car
– Jason Ferguson
