“Brother,” the opening track from Annuals’ debut album Be He Me, begins with crickets at dusk, a gently fingerpicker acoustic guitar, cascading strings and 19-year-old Adam Baker’s down tuned Jeff Buckley vocals. At this point, the astute listener might assume that something akin to Polyphonic Spree is about to ensue, and the astute listener wouldn’t be too far off base. That is until Baker howls “Now!” at the 1:50 mark, unleashing a torrent of guitars and hammered drums that suggests Broken Social Scene and Flaming Lips at their most inflammatory and manically wired. Annuals possess a flawless and happily dark sense of pop melodicism, as evidenced in the jaunty epic “Dry Clothes,” the indie rock Burt Bacharach strains of “Complete or Completing,” and the Cure-like lilting intensity of “Bleary Eyed.” The North Carolina sextet touches on sounds and emotions reminiscent of BSS, Arcade Fire and Animal Collective, but is clearly savvy enough to use those reference points like ingredients in a unique recipe, coming up with a brand new dish as a result. Here’s hoping Annuals are as prolific and as cyclical as their garden namesakes.
~ Brian Baker
Release date: October 17, 2006
Buy Album from CD Universe
