Joy Zipper
's second album
American Whip
is as sun-kissed and blissful as their first. Which is to say very much so. Sort of like a sunny take on
the Jesus and Mary Chain
circa
Darklands
, the band works the same straightforward noise-dipped-in-honey-approach as
the JAMC
. Only instead of
Jim
and
William Reid
's sneers, we get
Vincent Cafiso
Tabitha Tindale
's sweet as sugar vocals and harmonies. The catch is that the candy is a cover for the dark and gloomy subject matter of the lyrics. You may never hear bubblier songs about drug use, dying, Alzheimer's, feeling like a mannequin and madness. Whether this is a good thing depends on how you like your lyrics. Some may find the content a bit jarring. If you can hack it, though, this is a solid
indie pop
record. No surprises to be had but plenty of melody, harmony and hooks. Plenty of happy-when-it-pains tracks like
"Christmas Song,"
"Ron"
"Valley Stream"
to hum as you contemplate the dark underbelly of life. Perfect for a really creepy summer day. ~ Tim Sendra