Walking With the Beggar Boys
With a decade under their belts, the sixth album by the Athens, Georgia-based band Elf Power marks a bit of a change and expansion in their sound. With new members on board (Eric Harris formerly withOlivia Tremor Control, and Craig McQuiston from theGlands), the quintet moves easily from straight ahead, if slightly-fractured rockers, to fine slices of cerebral sonics. The title track, with guestVic Chesnutton hand for duet vocals, sounds as rooted in southern Americana asR.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" (a band with whom they've toured, besides sharing a hometown). Elsewhere, "Evil Eye" chugs along like a more ruralT. Rex, and "The Cracks" revels in mechanized rhythm tracks and eerily nostalgic synth runs. Throughout, they never lose track of their vital core interplay, celebrating the fine little engine that they are at all times. That the range of Elf Power is so broad comes as little surprise, given their past approaches, as well as their previous affiliations (muti-instrumentalist Laura Carter was a member ofNeutral Milk Hotel). --David Greenberger