GENRE | STILL TAP-DANCING
VERDICT | MUCH HEAVIER MOOD
LABEL | TEAM LOVE RECORDS
RELEASE | 10.2.12
It’s been four years since we heard anything from Tilly & the Wall (they were the band with cutesy guitars and a tap-dancing rhythm section), but after some soul-searching done by the individual band-members (like,of the marriage and yoga-teaching variety), they’re back and … different. But better!
Wild Like Children, the album that put them on the map back in 2004, was adorably forgettable, and the tap-dancing seemed gimmicky at best.
On Mood, every instrumental choice sounds more fully-realized.
The single, “Love Riot,” has some serious teeth, while “Static Expression” is sad and gorgeous; “Thicker Than Thieves” is a sassy BFF anthem for the ages. Here, their human-made clapping and tapping combos become more intrinsically important to their bigger sound, rather than some sideshow distraction.
Most likely, this new Tilly comes from the harmonious marriage of thoughtful lyrics, the addition of an electronic spine in place of the too-precious jelly bones that supported their former releases, and grown-up subject matter. If Wild Like Children had the maturity of a high school homecoming, Heavy Mood has a Masters in Soul Power.
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Sounds like a great progression for the band, looking forward to getting this one.
I dig their new sound. I agree that the new electronic-edge infused into their stuff makes the tunes sharper and stick longer inside of my head and tapping-toes. Awesome!