The Slaughterhouse 5 - Alban B. Clay (2013)

Alban B. Clay (Name Dat Price)

Acey brought this group to my (and everyone else's) attention last month upon the release of their second single, Fish Pt. 2–3 (Actual Fish), which I have been abso-fucking-lutely addicted to, along with their previous single, Light Bulbs (A K.M.R.J. Cover). I have no real reference for how to describe this music, though Acey's genre-classification of "math-pop" is appropriate, and it's not like they're doing something literally indescribable or unique. But the execution is what makes this album special in a deliriously unhinged way: from its conceit as a concept album about an artist and his pretensions, to the way everything is simultaneously dirty with distortion and yet sparkly clean in harmonic precision. 

The vox (as identified in the previous post) are probably the element most enticing, with their dramatic ambitions, layered harmonies, male/female duets, and genuinely surreal lyrics about who-the-fuck-knows. But while the instrumentation is never hitting those technical highs that most folks expect from the math-tag, the songwriting and performance are top-notch through and through, with an abundance of style.

Highly recommended, especially for fans of Mister Metaphor, Hawks & Oxen, Mew, and the Olivia Tremor Control.