Audio By Carbonatix
Mega Gem’s debut album credits more than twenty performers, who contributed a variety of sounds, from saxophone and cellphone to hand bells and “wiggling noises,” all of which are featured alongside a rock band and a small orchestra. The results are as eclectic as you’d expect from such a sizable cast, and it plays like a good mixtape made for you by a friend who’s well-versed in the numerous iterations of alt-indie-hipster-nomad-college-rock-pop, bearing influences from Sonic Youth to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. “Onions” and “Don’t Call Me Romantic” are excellent big-band indie pop backed by frenetic post-hardcore drums. “Merry Go Round” is far-out Renaissance folk pop, and “The Right Thing to Do” evokes the Decemberists as raised by an Irish R&B band (proto-rock, not R. Kelly). When the recipe works, the songs have raw energy and interesting arrangements; when they don’t, they slip into the oft-trod land of twee. But the good outweighs the bad by a fair margin here.
When news happens, Westword is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $50,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to this community. If Westword matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
