Elf Power, Creatures (spinART/Sugar Free) 9
Elf Power are the beleaguered middle child of the Elephant Six family, including Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel and Apples In Stereo. With four previous albums under their belts, they have yet to receive the acclaim of the rest of the collective. Creatures should go a long way in evening that score. Ironically, this time around the band has kept the sound modest, passing up Dave Fridmann's studio magic from 2000's The Winter Is Coming for a sound less Flaming Lips and more pared-down jangly folk. With more room to breathe, the songwriting has taken a leap in improvement. "Let The Serpents Sleep" sounds like a late eighties Feelies outtake. "The Modern Mind" is lovely accordion-driven folk much like recent Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. "Palace of The Flames," "Visions of the Sea" and "Unseen Hand" are gorgeous tunes that recall at times pre-glam Marc Bolan (T. Rex), Yo La Tengo and Felt. On "Everlasting Scream" and "Things That Should Not Be," the specter of The Velvet Underground is omnipresent, again filtered through the guitar sound of The Feelies' "Tomorrow Today" and "For Awhile." "The Haze" brings to light Elf Power's chief weakness -- Andrew Rieger's voice. His reedy, unobtrusive vocals serve a song best when blending with the music. But on "The Haze" it's a liability, as it plods tunelessly to the point of annoyance. With only one misstep out of eleven, Creatures is a fine album that updates the pleasures of eighties Velvet-jangle for 2002.
