A variety of things that probably only I care about

Woven Bones - In And Out And Back Again

Woven Bones have a strong ear for catchy pop hooks, but they bury these under layers of droning guitar and fuzzed-out garage vocals. The small fraction of pop aficionados who will appreciate that combination will find In And Out And Back Again enjoyable and light. That grainy, minimalistic bubble gum picture on the cover is accurate.

Despite the sloppy garage sound, Woven Bones are a tightly knit outfit. Not a beat is out of place, and the confident vocal snarl maintains a constant forward momentum. In And Out demonstrates that Woven Bones has already crafted a more distinctive sound than most bands ever achieve.

This “Woven Bones sound” is both a blessing and a curse. The songs are consistently good, without a single bad moment, but neither does any track work as an obvious standout. And though there is definite variety from track to track (check out the hooky “Your Way With My Life” followed immediately by slow, sinister “Creepy Bone”), it would wear out its welcome if it went past the album’s short 26 minutes. However, it is to the album’s credit that it doesn’t even feel like 26 minutes. It flies by with a constant succession of earworms, and no breaks at which the listener might notice the passage of time. Album-closer “Blind Conscience” does take a minute too long to fade out, but it isn’t until this wind-down that anyone would check their watch.

From what little I can find online, it looks like Woven Bones have released a series of under-the-radar EPs along with this (barely) full-length. I don’t see them breaking through to popular appeal any time soon, but I fully expect them to gain new devoted fans with each release. Their enthusiastic, high-energy twist on a slacker sound remains compelling even after the newness has worn off.

Grade: B