Fang Island (Bonus Video Version)

The impressive self-titled debut album of Brooklyn quintet Fang Island sounds like it was extraordinarily fun to make. They refuse to let things like song structure or singing get in the way of getting rad — though they’re not afraid to adhere to the occasional verse and chorus formula as well as some sporadically choired gang-vocals. “Dreams of Dreams” sets the stage with recorded fireworks, simple yet honest life-affirming lyrics and ascending layers of metallic guitarmonies. But before you paint Fang Island in the same corner as the Go! Team or even the Polyphonic Spree (remember them?), “Careful Crossers” comes in blasting proggy math-rocking algorithms that make Oneida’s arrangements seem simple. The unpredictable but palatable “Daisy” is a marvel in that such experiments in recording are rarely this successful. It’s easy to understand why Fang Island describe their sound as “everyone high-fiving everyone.” These vibrant and colorful musings emit an infectiously triumphant feeling, like drunkenly riding a unicorn through a White Castle drive-thru just as morning begins to break.