There’s a lot to like about Save the Clocktower‘s album Carousel. The Chicago trio’s sophomore album was released at the end of February 2011, but it’s worth a belated review because the album is fantastic. The musicianship is solid, but that’s far from the most interesting aspect of this record. For starters, the melodies and countermelodies are simple and repetititious, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not gorgeous bordering on otherworldly. The rhythm section shimmers in and out of focus, which at first was disconcerting. But the more you listen, the more you hear how equally well the percussion section provides rock-solid backbeats to lock onto at once, or off-kilter rhythmic patterns that are still strangely hypnotic. Overall, the production is brilliant, and each song seems purposefully crafted to enhance the raw sullenness of 90′s downtempo electronica, post rock, and synthpop with the most modern and edgy effects available. None of the musical ideas are exactly new, but the ways in which they combine unusual textures are fresh and appealing. It’s hard to pin down Save the Clocktower genre-wise, and in the past year alone they’ve played with experimental electro outfit Toro y Moi and world electronica trio Beats Antique. Their downtempo songs have sultry beats similar to Gorillaz, and their synthpop tracks seem inspired by both the carefree whimsy of MGMT and the coy moodiness of Depeche Mode. Be sure to listen to both “Drip” and “You Got Me” below, and head over to Save the Clocktower’s Bandcamp page to hear and purchase the rest of the album.

Drip-Save the Clocktower by Laurel Kathleen

You Got Me-Save the Clocktower by Laurel Kathleen

I chose to stream the first two songs on the album not only to highlight the incredible contrast between the two tracks, but because it’s worth noting that Save the Clocktower isn’t just good at combining styles, but making vastly different styles feel equally genuine and comfortable. The first song “Drip” has an instantly likeable hook, but it only ever skirts the line between the good kind of poppy and too poppy. Each verse and chorus is edged with softly undulating electronica, sandwiched between interludes combining elements of trance, house, and world music. The second song “You Got Me” starts out grungy and downtempo yet still vaguely familiar melancholic. The sonorous vocal delivery of the verses takes a sudden upturn and skews psychedelic during the pleasantly anthemic refrain of “You got me going”, and the song seems able to march on indefinitely. There’s such a cacophony of sounds that the lyrics are almost indiscernible at times, but it’s in no way overdone or off-putting. Instead, the crafty trio combats this issue by keeping their lyrics simple and instead, sharply contrasting the delivery and effects of the verses and choruses. In opposition to the airy vocals and house, then breakbeat of “Far Apart” reminds me of a more playful track from Radiohead‘s Amnesiac, while the country-flavored “They” sounds more like a collaboration between The Get Up Kids and Wilco. The song begins and ends with ripples of subtle synths that become louder with the growing presence of a wisful chorus, the combination of syncopated piano chords and occasional harpsichord sounds dreamy without skewing too cutesy. I could continue to dissect each song ad infinitum, which is perhaps my favorite part of this album: you can’t process the whole thing in one casual listen, or a few listens, or even several. I find the title extremely fitting, as listening to this album is a bit like riding a carousel: you know that each time you go around you’re going to experience roughly similar stimuli, but no spins will ever look or feel quite the same.

Explore the rest of Save the Clocktower‘s sophomore effort Carousel on their Bandcamp page and iTunes (though it’s twice the price on the latter). Their next performance will be Saturday, May 14th at The Abbey in Chicago. They’ll be sharing the stage with Kid Koala, Cave, and Loyal Divide, another Chicago band you might recall from my review and interview with them at South by Southwest. The show is 21 and up, and advance tickets are available here until May 6th for $15 and will be $20 at the door. For more information on their upcoming tour dates and albums, follow Save the Clocktower on Facebook or Twitter.