And songs, in the end, are what matter in pop music.
Decorated crap is still crap.
All of which is a rather long-winded way of saying that All Summer Long, superficially, is completely pedestrian. This disc is so unassuming you might not give it a second glance. Barwick started as a drummer in a high school metal band with former Ashley Stove bandmate Matt Brown. Ten years ago the pair spent a summer working in London pubs and got to see Pixies three times. You can still hear some Pixies influence on the new LP, which also flaunts references to other bands influenced by Pixies, including Spoon and Teenage Fanclub.