Tall Firs has been honing its craft for 18 years; playing the indie circuit, picking up a cult following and generally cementing a sound that’s all their own: a mellow, low-fi, blissed-out sound with jagged soul to which one can’t help zoning out. Their super-cool sound was picked up by indie label, Ecstatic Peace, which released their eponymous debut and a live CD. Out now is Too Old to Die Young. This sophomore effort is no carbon copy of their debut, but lays fresh musical bricks. The first cut, “So Messed Up” is a blissful, slowly frenetic opener, presenting their musical thesis statement. It just gets better all the way through to the musical Sopor that is “Secrets and Lies,” the end cut. Songs like “Hairdo” and “Good Intentions” show that Tall Firs are no power-pop mongers, no major-label lackeys. What comes to mind are iconoclasts like Sebadoh, Pavement and English spacemen Innaway with a splash of Sonic Youth mixed in; this album gives one hope for the rest of 2008
--Kent Manthie [March 30, 2008]
