3 out of 5

Label: My Pal God

Producer: Brian McTear

I got into LD because of the My Pal God label which, at the time, I mostly associated with post-punkyish type groups with a dash of DC Discord-esque angularity and a splash of Chicago groove, and then I wrote a nine page long RIYL that included disparate groups like Tortoise and the Shirelles and the hipster poops loved it because that’s how they roll, but still, not enough people seemed to buy the MPG albums when I would play them in the store (opting, instead, for more Tortoise and Shirelles) and none of this ever really happened except for me playing Lefty’s Deceiver’s ‘Process Junior’ pretty frequently because it was such an odd little EP that teeter-tottered into pop but seemed to want to be scrappy and kick your kneecaps at the same time.  So I was excited for a followup.

‘Cheats’ seems to deliver with the five minute long opener, ‘Years and Years Ago,’ fade in drums and Andy Williams’ indie pleasant sing-song before the guitar kicks in and the song sticks to a rollicking overdrive that doesn’t get tiresome thanks to interesting interplay with guitar and drums and a good sense of how much space to leave between just playing yer music and singing.  Second tracks are generally a Sophomore slump, so you somewhat expect that lighter step of ‘Cincinnati on Replay,’ but a light goes off: it’s sorta like a heavy song and sorta topical 9/11 stuff, which I’m never keen on.  Let’s keep our lyrics angsty and sort of all-encompassing, yes?  But, eh, no, because now we jump into some Matt Pond PA happy sappy pop with ‘East Coast Traffic.’  …But let’s get something straight: these are still good songs, and they’re well sequenced.  ‘Cheats’ is a good album.  It’s just misleading, as you turn a corner and suddenly there’s another ripping track like the instrumental ‘Intro to Iselin’ or the awesomely aggressive title track (on which Williams sounds great, straining his thin voice to the max and giving the song a dose of honesty and force), but between these high points – and taking up the majority of the album – are either pleasantries or even-keeled filler.  Part of this might be due to producer McTear, who excels at the sweet stuff over rockers, but that’s not to take focus off of LD: there’s just a more friendly vibe to this disc, which, admittedly, is more in tune with their first couple albums, making my ‘Process’ EP the odd man out.

Death Cabby indie poppers who want something with just a couple extra degress of bite might dig this (RIYL), but if you’re like me and were hoping for more of a push down the punky road, the select songs on ‘Cheats’ that manage this are definitely worthwhile… you just might have to give the rest of the disc a few passes before your ears adjust to the more mellow sounds.