Tilly and the Wall

Tilly and the Wall
O 2008 Team Love Records
This is without a doubt in the running for my favorite album of the year. It is at the same time lo-fi, edgy indie rock and sing along hippie folk. That may sound like the wort description ever bestowed upon a band but trust me on this one, it works. And really, how can you go wrong with a band who utilizes a tap-dancer as a form of percussion?
Each song is an entirely different section of the same magnificent animal. They start soft, with the heart-felt acoustic ballad "Tall, Tall Grass" that introduces us to the massive group melodies that will dominate the core of the vocals throughout the album and from there they split off in all directions the branches of a tree. We find traces all around of 80's pop and new wave, both contemporary and alternative folk, cabaret and show tunes, new york punk and even gypsy. 'Wall of sound' does not even begin to describe the production as every inch of space is occupied by various voices, instruments and other miscellaneous sounds. And what is even more genius about the whole affair is that it never, not once, feels too busy.
This album is one that conjures images. Even listening to it in a strictly aural fashion, the songs are quite visual. I swear that every time I listen to "Chandelier Lake," I imagine a group of festive people singing around a bonfire and swaying with the music. It is a rare thing that a band can ignite something like that within me and I cannot help but stand in awe of it. Tilly and the Wall really do trigger emotions and rather than simply compose songs, they paint pictures and scenarios through word and sound. O is an album that is worth every precious second you give to it.