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Native Speaker
Barnes and Noble
Native Speaker
Current price: $13.99
Barnes and Noble
Native Speaker
Current price: $13.99
Size: CD
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Depending on whatever aspect of
' music captures listeners at any moment, they call to mind widely varied influences. Over the course of their debut,
, shades of
,
, and
pop up in the most improbable combinations, making for unpredictable -- and sometimes thrilling -- listening. Opening track
defines the band's sound, from its intricate instrumentation to its free-flowing structure to
's angelic voice, which coos surprisingly profane lyrics like "Have you fucked all the stray kids yet?"
's singing and the band's playing are both forces to be reckoned with, but for most of
they work together instead of competing with each other.
suggests a less-weird
(even with
's insistently trilled refrain "I'm fucked up"), while
gives the band's sound a tropical lilt. Still, some of the album's best moments happen when
calm down a little. The album's sensual title track shows how ably the band can make eight minutes feel like half that, with softly encompassing drones and erotically inclined vocals.
takes the band's sound in an enticingly different direction that sounds like filter disco and dream pop blurred together, as
sings "I can't stop it" in countlessly different ways. As intriguing as
is, it's not perfect:
's vocals can border on grating, and sometimes the band's approach feels formless instead of abstract. Nevertheless,
' uniquely feminine experimental pop is largely a success. ~ Heather Phares