Home > Music > CD Review > Tilly and the Wall, 'o'

Tilly and the Wall, 'o'

Child-like indie poppers flex some more grown-up muscles

By Scott Thill

Special to Metromix
June 16, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Backstory: Formed out of the ashes of several Nebraska bands centered around the axis of Conor Oberst, Tilly and the Wall has since carved out its own weirdo pop niche in the indie music universe. Singer Neely Jenkins and “drummer” Jamie Pressnall, whose tap dancing more or less functions as the band's percussion, were once college colleagues and bandmates of Oberst, whose indie label Team Love has since released most of Tilly and the Wall's work, including all three of their full-lengths of some of their EPs. With friends like Oberst, who needs A&R?

Why you should care: Tilly and the Wall's kitchen-sink pop is light and airy, but manages to get down to the nitty-gritty, especially on the conscientious "o" single "Pot Kettle Black." Pressnall's tap dancing is as much a risk as a gimmick, which is to say that it pays off nicely. You'll be hard-pressed to find a more cacophonous band making such pretty noise. In fact, they've got a song about that on "o" called, what else, "Cacophony."

Verdict: "o" is a skewed blast, something Phil Spector might have dreamt up after eating too much spicy food. The clumsy stomp of "Chandelier" sounds like it might have dropped off of Tom Waits’ plate, and "Dust Me Off" could have been the Go-Go's B-side Belinda Carlisle was too scared to show off. The shouts sparking the off-kilter rhythms and horns of "I Found You" turn the song's saccharine center into a steamrolling anthem. Even the winsome acoustic number "Tall Tall Grass" feels like a square peg in a round hole. From the first tune to the tap dance solos of the finale "Too Excited," "o" is an uncomfortable good time.

X-Factor: The band recently performed an alphabet song scheduled to air on "Sesame Street."

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