All those who believe that jangle-pop can only be played by those who are the direct result of an amorous tryst by horny Rickenbackers, look away now.

For this album, by nineteen year old New Yorker, Maxfield Francis Goldman, takes the listener on a trip straight to the obtuse end of the genre’s ever widening spectrum, whilst ensuring it ticks of a few emo, fuzz-pop and twee destinations          en-route.

For Goldman is the sort of reason why the Bedroom-pop tag on Bandcamp is always worth keeping an eye upon, as he twists remarkably obtuse sounds out of unlikely aural meshes, that somehow still manage to thread jangled inflections and reference points through all the disparation.

Initially, the most endearing of the album is the best that the late 90s / early 00’s had to offer in terms of indie-pop chic. Here Stars, Heaven (DC) and Spain, juxtapose Jeff Magnum / Neutral Milk Hotel style vocals and fuzzy lo-fi production, through the cutesy twee of an Adam Green filter. All three tracks feel like a permanent audition for a indie-chic sountrack to some sort of Juno type cult film. Certainly all three would grace such a movie and atmosphere.

Off course, as is always the case with the ‘best of weirdness’, the artist occasionally just indulges the part of their ego that is able to dream up such glorious spurious. Here Your Tired Hands and Vampires will mean little to absolutely anyone other than the artist, but somehow still end up being the most emotionally charged tracks on the album…I think?

However, such overt instability is always only a step away from something exceedingly meaningful from this artist, as the tempo is slowed down on I’d Like It If You Stayed, Demo and msdn/nj, to reveal Elliott Smith style finger plucked jangle, that is fused with humming fuzz and almost unbearable layers of introspection. It is never actually beautiful as it is just too deliberately messy, in a Mo Troper type manner for that, but it is a totally enthralling sound that totally captivates.

For some reason the artist refers to all his releases as “demo’s”, which is strange for something so perfectly (un)formed and decidedly (un)accomplished as this!

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FULL RELEASE