Aloha
"That's Your Fire" CD (Polyvinyl)
Edgy, jazzy, skittering, vibraphone-driven indie pop which has more to do with jazz enfant terribles Jaga Jazzist than it does with the music that most people associate with Polyvinyl (such as Rainer Maria, Braid and other guitar-driven forms). This isn't anything close to vibes masters like Milt Jackson or Bobby Hutcherson; on this album, Eric Koltnow's vibraphone playing provides a ringing accent to Cale Parks' jazz-inflected percussion and a foundation for Tony Cavallario's quavering, tremulous vocals. If this had been an instrumental album consisting solely of vibes, drums and bass, it would have been hugely enjoyable; as it is, the nervous vocals and de rigueur indie rock guitar riffs which seem borrowed from Braid make this album difficult to appreciate in its entirety.