ILLLS – Hideout From the Feeders
Aloe Music
★★★★ (out of 5 stars)
Perhaps it's because it's the home of definitive label Fat Possum Records, but Oxford, Miss., is one rich, if seemingly unlikely, hotbed of national-level indie talent. And if Bass Drum of Death is that town's garage-punk poster boy, then this debut LP makes a whopping case for ILLLS to be the indie-rock mascot. Somewhere between Telekinesis and Surfer Blood, this sunny, fuzzy outing is noisy pop with big rock wings, a swooning union of power and perfect hooks. Between huge, soaring smashes like "Our Shadow," "Out," "Colleen" and "Sitting Around," it goes big and stays big throughout. It's a well-stocked and lavishly styled record that's lush in texture, melody and romance. And it's one dazzlingly realized debut.
