When it comes to making records, the philosophy of DIY can be daunting, especially if you are emerging Brooklyn-based indie-pop group Bishop Allen. Having spent 2006 not only writing and recording a distinct EP for each month of the year, but also taking orders, packaging and sending each record out, the quartet was ready for a change. Now on an official record label - Dead Oceans - the band has completed their first true studio record: The Broken String. And this time around, one can detect a more sophisticated approach to the song writing as well as arrangements. Gone are the playful pop days of “Ghosts Are Good Company” and “Bishop Allen Drive.” With a little less “Brooklyn” and a lot more Arcade Fire, the band delivers an epochal maturity, with full instrumentation and a bevy of tender, melancholy moments. The change is manifest, yet documented and unsurprising if you traverse back through their 2006 EPs. And, although the band lacks many of the endearing qualities of their former selves, Bishop Allen has nonetheless delivered a solid pop record.
--W.T. Wallace
