3 out of 5

Label: self-released?  LP? (that question mark ain’t part of the label name, I’m just not sure)

Producer: Jon Lupfer (recorded by)

Totally competent singer-songwriterish stuff, Tsui is a perfect example of why it’s great that affordable recording and mixing tools are more commonly available, because you can get your next favorite band or artist to deliver and incredibly professional album without the woes of scratchy tape recordings or massive studio costs.  Not that there still isn’t money involved and not that tape doesn’t 1000% have its place, but Tsui makes the kind of earnest, almost emo indie folk / rock that would probably bug the shit out of me if it didn’t have good production quality to snazz it up.  Lead singer Mark Kraus has that twothirtyeight-ish vocal style that’s one degree removed from Conor Oberst and stays just at the right level to sound believable but not annoying.  The same goes for the music and lyrics, which could have been written and sung by your new boyfriend, the one who desperately deserves a music contract.  And he – they, Tsui – do.  This is just as good as anything of its ilk that’s on the ‘radio’ or playing on your local indie iPod mix, and the mostly acoustic mix of bass and guitar and solid drums interact with one another in a more creative and concise fashion than most of that stuff too.  But there’s no hook.  Not that there always needs to be, of course, but it helps.  ‘Wreckage’ is a pleasant EP that should work for high school weepies but is mature enough to play with the big folk heroes.  Some stronger lyrical imagery and somehow nabbing a label deal and you’ll be pushing them to your friends along with Iron and Wine.