The Curtains debut full-length came in LP format on Thin Wrist two years ago, and that this release is on CD isn't the only difference between the two. Of Curtains' three original members, only guitarist Chris Cohen remains. Now drumming for the group is member of Open City and label mate Andrew Maxwell. Greg Saunier, Cohen's compatriot in Deerhoof takes his turn on keyboards. What remains the same, however, is Curtains' penchant for playful, bare melodies. There's a playfulness in Flybys, exemplified by Curtains' cheerful melodies, which are often played in unison by Cohen and Saunier. Like rock language simplified and mimicked by an Atari, Flybys moves quickly through twenty-two tracks of almost preciously deconstructed rock. While Cohen and Saunier lilt and twirl through Flybys, Maxwell could easily play stark, simple rhythms that would fit well with the songs, but do little to improve them. Luckily, he instead take a jazzier approach on much of the album, with well-placed accents and dense flourishes that wouldn't be out of place in the record collection of a late '60s free-jazz fan. It's this looseness from Maxwell that anchors the group in a more adventurous mode no matter how simple and sing-song the other two get. There's a childlike sensibility that pervades the album, but more than make the music sound cutesy or trite, it results in a feeling of freshness and wide-eyed wonder, a feeling that makes Flybys just plain fun. Whether Cohen uses bright clean channel guitar or dirtier tones, whether Saunier's keyboard makes the blippy sounds of early video games or fizzling bursts of decaying sound, and whether Maxwell plays in a jumble or in more restrained accents, Flybys is just that, fun. Add to this to the group's unique take on rock and pop language, and you've got fun music you can think along to, an enjoyable combo indeed.
|
