One would be forgiven for assuming the
Crystal Skulls
were some
metal
-edged
stoner rock
band, but the Seattle quartet's second album is actually a creamy blend of '70-style
soft rock
(think
10cc
,
Wings
Al Stewart
's
Year of the Cat
) and the softer side of the Chicago school of
post-rock
as exemplified by the
Aluminum Group
and the
Sea and Cake
. In other words, these 11 songs are filled with airy melodies and AM radio hooks (note the dead-perfect pedal steel guitar accents on
"Baby Boy"
), but they're paired with a deliberately detached, cerebral air. Die-hard
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
fans may well find this album too distant and chilly to fully embrace, but meeting the ironically titled
Outgoing Behavior
on its own reserved terms reveals that
singer/songwriter
Christian Wargo
has a remarkable knack for pure
pop
melody. The title track is a particular delight, with vintage synth whirs straight out of the
High Llamas
playbook and an instantly appealing tune and
Wargo
's winsome, boyish delivery of his playfully skewed, opaque lyrics.
"Treat It Right"
is equally fine, recalling
Paul McCartney
's frothier moments circa
Venus and Mars
right down to the falsetto vocals and
rockabilly
-tinged guitar riffs. Overall,
has a sunnier, more easygoing feel than the occasionally dour
Steely Dan
-meets-
Tortoise
aspects of 2005's
Blocked Numbers
suggested, and it suits the
quite nicely. Bit of a shame about the band name, though. ~ Stewart Mason