Intelligence - Crepuscule With Pacman

Intelligence
Crepuscule With Pacman
(2009, Born Bad Records)
RIYL = Liars, The Hospitals, the A Frames

I tell you what, I am beginning to get a little wearied by this whole lo-fi thing. It’s not that I am falling out of love with crunchy recording methods and feedback, it’s just that it feels like there is a new wave of bands that are recording terribly just to try and pass off their boring songs as part of some new art punk aesthetic or something. And, truth be told, lots of times it just comes off as flat and gimmicky. Fortunately, the Intelligence have returned to their lo-fi roots after their more polished (but still blissful) production on 2007’s Deuteronomy, just in time to show all these bandwagon riding upstarts how to really make some trashy pop songs. I for one am glad they did because I was beginning to develop a knee jerk reaction to all this misguided squalor. The beauty of the Intelligence is the discernable personality within the recordings. Headed by Lars Finberg (formerly of the A Frames), the Intelligence travel all over the pop map with a laconic swagger and a creative sweet tooth that seems sorely missing from the majority of noise-riddled pop acts. Like, I can actually distinguish one song from the next! And the Intelligence use different melodies on different songs! Novel idea huh? Seriously though, doesn’t it feel like some of these bands out there are just pressing the same effects pedal on every song before strumming the same 3 chords? Not the Intelligence. On Crepuscule With Pacman we’re treated twelve off kilter tracks that coalesce beautifully as an album, but can also can each stand on their own two legs as a testament to the Intelligence's grittily intelligent (ha!) and wonderfully varied popcraft. Oh, and did I mention that Crepuscule is just the appetizer? That’s right. The Intelligence have an additional full length (which is just as awesome if not more so) coming out later this month on In The Red. Oh, Intelligence – you shouldn’t have. I guess it’s a good time to count our many lo-fi blessings.

- Lil' Thistle

not off of Crepuscule, but still...