Indie Rock 4Evr

Brief, noisy pop nuggets are a rare commodity in the indie rock world of 2001. But sure enough, Kumquat bangs away like Yo La Tengo circa 1992, writing catchy pop songs that rarely go near the four-minute mark. What makes this sort of music work is the little touches, and Kumquat understands this. For example, if the song is a charging Butthole Surfers dirge ("Butterfly"), why not throw Ingrid Smart's delicate vocals over the top of it? How about a moody, snotty drone-fest ("August")? Just add a falsetto breakdown that counters the tension in the rest of the song. These are the lessons that they have learned in the underground, and it is always nice to see a band pick up good habits and utilize them from album to album. Where their previous singles only hinted at their talents, Indie Rock 4ever is the sound of a band that has figured out their place. Even the Alice Donut-like noise of "Burning in the Sun" fits nicely into the grand scheme of the album. A few of these tracks may be too thick and noisy for certain listeners, but underneath the fuzz there are some great hooks and some clever lyrics. The anti-WTO statement of the front cover has very little to do with the music found inside, which may turn off some listeners expecting the second coming of the Dead Kennedys. But like the many brilliant noise pop bands that came before them, this is about creating good sonic textures first, and on that front they succeed marvelously.