Midnight at the Black Nail Pol

The oh-so-cutely-named Deathray Davies is an ambitious indie-pop band that draws on all sorts of '60's influence. I hear psychedelic-era Byrds (the mix of horns & all sorts of manipulated guitars), Gary Glitter-style glam, and especially the miniature pop symphonies of the Beach Boys. While _MATBNPF_ sounds nothing like the Beach Boys, somehow, I hear this album aspiring to be _Pet Sounds_. There is the same type of accessible artiness with the songs progressing in
carefully arranged sections. There are touches of the same sensitivity and introversion (a number of songs about a girl who just stares). The songwriting is pretty strong with catchy cryptic lyrics and a variety of styles. Some of the songs are so catchy that you'll be singing along after one listen. The vocals are a little wimpy but not irritating, maybe think of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot-era Wilco.
My only compaint is that the band may be a little too meticulous. I'm dying to hear them cut loose and rock and roll.

stand-out tracks: 4,10,11,6,7 8

1. simple tinkling instrumental
2. glammy guitar, treated indie vocals, never quite rocks, has noisy part towards end
3. wimpy vocals, has backtracked guitars and horns, catchy
4. crunchier groove, memorable melody, sounds like a thousand great pop song in the back of my head, Pixies-inspired jamming at end
5. catchy, slight Sadies-style spaghetti western here, wimpy vocals with fun horn break, angsty lyrics
6. stomping groove, distorted guitar, rocks a little more, immediate and memorable
7. delicate acoustic, wonderfully dumb love song, catchy lyrics
8. organ driven, garage-flavored, upbeat
9. childish instrumental
10. brilliant Gary Glitter-style rocker
11. an epic-feel, manages to be both rocking and wimpy, nice interplay of acoustic and electric instruments
12. spare Pinback-style chime, probably too long
13. Instrumental recalling the first track but this time with piano and
distorted guitar