Pajama Avenue

On Zelienople's full-length debut, the group weighs in with a moody and pretty assemblage of slowcore and ambient textures. The group's strength lies in subtlety and restraint, with Matt Christensen's voice often barely above a hushed whisper and drums and cymbals dealt only glancing blows. The Chicago trio fleshes out their delicate pop with electronic touches, keyboards, and synthesizers. There are some lovely post-punk guitar textures throughout, with pensively cascading and ringing notes flush against the moody atmosphere. Some highlights include the title track, as well as "It's Hard to Steal Cars" and "Friendly With the Father." A lovely effort overall — the only complaint here would be the relentless similarity of mood throughout.