Tar...Feathers

How many Swedish bands do you listen to? Wouldn't your friends think you're way indie if you told them you're diggin' on this sick Swedish band that produced their album on a laptop? You guessed it, my obscure band-loving friends, Tar...Feathers is straight out of Göteborg, Sweden and yes, they recorded Make Way for the Ocean Floor to Fall to the Surface on a laptop. That being said, let's get down to business.

Tar...Feathers is the nom de guerre of Marcus Nyke, the creator, songwriter, and artist of the group. Make Way for the Ocean Floor to Fall to the Surface is a 100% DIY effort. After Nyke wrote the songs, a couple of his friends helped to write bass and drum parts. Nyke also took the task of album artwork into his own hands, as he drew all of the pictures on the CD packaging, lyrics sheet included.

"Cuckoo" opens the album with modest, yet intriguing music. After about thirty seconds, you meet Marcus Nyke - actually, you meet a few Marcus Nykes. Each track features multilayered vocals, almost all of which come from Nyke's larynx. I'm not sure how he could achieve this effect in live performances, but it definitely adds to the album's sound.

Sometimes vocals take a while to grow on me. I can remember listening to At the Drive-In for the first time and almost being turned off to Cedric Bixler-Zavala's vocal style; shortly thereafter, however, I found that his vocals match At the Drive-In's music perfectly. The exact same scenario occurred when I first experienced Make Way for the Ocean Floor to Fall to the Surface

Tar...Feather's music is easily comparable to early Modest Mouse and Owls. Although it's a great example of lo-fi indie, the album's sound is incredibly full. Paramount tracks which highlight Tar...Feather's distinct sound are "Was it Even There?," "You are Lucky to Have Nothing," "Forever is Quite Some Time" and the album opener, "Cuckoo."

If at first Tar...Feathers leaves you skeptical, listen to the album again and give them a fair chance. Make Way for the Ocean Floor to Fall to the Surface is a unique first effort with a slew of addictive songs. Plus, they're Swedish.

8.4 / 10 — Tohm