Too Old to Die Young

Listeners looking for inventive and atmospheric electric guitar-driven music should appreciate Tall Firs. Made up of guitarists and singers Dave Mies and Aaron Mullan and drummer Ryan Sawyer (who has played with At the Drive In, the Mekons, TV On the Radio, and the Fiery Furnaces, among others), the trio stretches out into some spacey territory without lingering there too long before getting back to recognizable song forms. Mullan has worked as a sound engineer and guitar tech with Sonic Youth for many years and the two bands definitely share a similar aesthetic. With the exception of a couple dark, drowsy beauties in “Good Intention” and “Secrets & Lies” their second release is more dynamic than their fine self-titled debut, with some moody and squelching tunes (“So Messed Up,” “Warriors”) mixed with some melodic and tuneful standouts like “Hairdo” and “Loveless.” It’s also worth mentioning that Mies and Mullan have been playing together for more than 20 years, a fact that becomes apparent once you hear them lock guitar lines, and together they’ve perfected their own blend of jam band and messy basement noise.