Artist: Stereospeak

Artist: Stereospeak

Links: https://www.facebook.com/Stereospeak

http://stereospeak.bandcamp.com/

Some bands are aptly named. So it is with Chicago's Stereospeak. Because they literally speak the language of stereo. Cunning linguists, all of 'em.

Take for instance Leaves-opener “New Kid.” Stereospeak pairs a woozy Perry Farrell vocal with a symphony of Porno for Pyros-caliber keys and guitar tones that sparkle and shimmer in creating a deeply dimensional night sky once occupied by the Pyros' “Tahitian Moon.”

But if “New Kid” had us contentedly lounging in a moonlit rowboat, then track two is the petulant Rimbaud pulling alongside in his drunken boat, tipping us into a suddenly stormy sea. With riffs like a tidal wave, “Shapes” propels us for minutes on end, till we come to rest atop a conveniently situated sand bar (the land bridge at 2:07).

The closest parallel would be DIIV's “Doused.” And it's not unreasonable to suggest as an influence this particular corner of indie music (itself a rare bastion of guitar music). Because Stereospeak's “YaNow” melody-checks “Chinatown” by Wild Nothing, who share a label with DIIV and have collaborated with Zachary Cole Smith's former band, Beach Fossils.

Stereospeak's “Good Time” also traffics in indie guitar angles. But this time, instead of betraying the Brooklyn brogue of a Captured Tracks artist, the musical accent is distinctly English in character. That is, Stereospeak's minimalist patterns pair with hushed vocals to rival those of The xx (see “Fiction”).

Earlier in its catalog, Stereospeak was seemingly content to impress with layered vocals (“Current Current”) atop piano (“Below the Earth”) or keyboard arrangements (“Graingoer”). But as they develop into a top flight guitar outfit, it's comforting to know that any traces of Thom Yorke in the vocal will find suitable accompaniment in OK Computer-like guitar edges (“Current Current”), and in the melancholy lows of The Eraser (“Face the Change”).

More than anything, it's the outros of Stereospeak's “Good Time” and “Probably Wrong” that bode well for the band. Because in these extended jam sessions, we get the feeling that Stereospeak enjoys playing together as much as we love hearing them play.

*** The author of this review, Robert Williams, plays the castanets for the following band:http://youtu.be/tMS73-1kCr8