Rating: 
It’s got to be hard to get your music across the Atlantic, especially when you’re a little known band from Finland. Â Fortunately for you, The New Tigers self-titled album has slowly begun to trickle across the seas, bringing us fuzzy pop that’s sure to appeal to listeners of all sorts, crafting tunes that will resonate with your ears time and time again.
Of course, one of the greatest things about listening to The New Tigers is their ability to build their pop from within a realm of lo-fi noise, but then let the songs sprawl out into the great unknown. Â Album opener “Clocks of Destruction” is one of two such tracks, building in momentum just near the minute mark, but fading into crafty noise, like Broken Social Scene would pull of when they were in a jamming mood. Â It takes a special track to build on what could easily be a two minute pop song and still maintain interest throughout. Â “Pocketful of Sand” is the other such track, but it takes just a bit longer to reach the vocals, but they’re so light that you’re likely to just see them as a floating piece of the inherent melody the band has built. Â These two tracks alone make for a special listen, but this isn’t all the band wants to offer you.
“Transitions” is a much quieter offering from the band, providing listeners a moment of rest and relaxation as the song itself slowly prods along. Â Softly the song meanders along, letting you know that this doesn’t always have to be a forceful trip to the noisy horizon; The New Tigers can win you over with a slow number as well. You can then jump right into the bubbly “Door on the Floor,” a more light-hearted bouncing track that resembles Pains of Being Pure at Heart during their quieter noise-pop days. Â It’s great to offer sprawling tracks, but being able to contain yourself is a trait that not every band seems to possess, so its nice to see these guys exploring structure and length.
Perhaps one of the secret gems on The New Tigers lives near the end; it’s called “Velvet Jam.” The more I listen to this track, the more I seem to absorb, pulling me further into the song itself. Â There’s bits of jangling guitar, ramshackle drumming, and wispy vocals of the softer sort, carrying the melody along perfectly. Â Personally, I like the touch of the knifing guitar line that cuts in and out during what seems like the chorus, just before the jangle kicks back into the track. Â It’s the sort of song that begs you to listen over and over again.
It’s interesting when listening to The New Tigers how much they sound like a lot of the American bands we all adore, yet at the same time, they’re able to add their own little pieces, allowing the record to sound vibrant and refreshing. Just one listen to the self-titled record will surely not be enough, as you’ll have to go back again, just to check if it’s as wonderful as it sounded. Â I got news for you: it is.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/05-Pocketful-Of-Sand.mp3]
Download: The New Tigers – Pocketful Of Sand [MP3]
The New Tigers is out now on Soliti Music.
I’ve been hearing about Radar Eyes for some time now, and I especially loved their track “Miracle.” Â Now the band’s signed on with Hozac Records, and they’re about to release their long awaited debut this February. Â For those of you that like your rock n’ roll with a bit of an emotional haunt, then you’ll surely find pleasure in the off-beat wash of noise that accompanies the rather nice pop undertones of this track. Â If you’re looking to do more research on the Chicago act, you can find their album closer that was released last week. Â This track is left of the left of center, so maybe that’s why we’ve got a bit of “disconnection.”
