1. Your Morning Toast
2. Sweet Singin' Birds
3. Gather It All
4. Sinking In
5. Close My Eyes
6. Meet You In Produce
7. My First Surprise
8. Concrete Feet
9. Favorite Love
10. Instructions
11. Canoe Trip
12. Sweet Potatoes
13. Natural Boy
There's smart pop, and there's smart pop, and the Peekers are clearly shooting for dean's list status on their debut album, Life in the Air — fitting enough, since the album was recorded in a studio on the campus of the University of Ohio. Between the frequent four-part harmonies, the marimbas, the accordions, the clarinets, the mandolins, the rinky-tink pianos, and the vocals filtered to sound like old radios, the Peekers never waste an opportunity to demonstrate how clever they are on these 13 songs, which gets a bit wearying over the course of 39 minutes. It would be considerably worse if it weren't for the fact that the Peekers happen to be quite good at what they do; there are plenty of lovely melodies on Life in the Air, the harmonies are well executed and imaginative, the musicians have good skills, and Brittney Maddox's lead vocals on "Favorite Love" and "Sweet Singin' Birds" are charming enough to wear down anyone's resistance. There are also occasional moments where the band sets the cuteness aside for a moment and just plays, as on the faintly R&B-influenced "Sweet Singin' Birds" and the dynamic "Concrete Feet," and the results demonstrate just how much talent lurks beneath this combo's schtick. But while it's hard not to think at least one member of the Peekers prayed for a quote like the one from Daytrotter that appears in their press kit — "the six horsemen of the lovepoclypse" — the line "almost annoyingly precious" from The Austin Chronicle, doubtless included in jest, tells the tale much better. Give these kids a chance to grow up a bit and they could create something great; as it is, Life in the Air is a promising debut but never quite as clever or cute as they believe they are.
"Life In The Air" is a universe tripped up in bright guitars, sugary harmonies, and an insatiable appetite for the classics, mind expanding additives, and relentless love.
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