Hallelujah the Hills

Taking their name from a bizarre ’60s surreal romantic comedy, Hallelujah The Hills emerged from the ashes of almost famous Boston band the Stairs and have already managed to overtake their predecessors with the release of an incredibly likeable debut album. Collective Psychosis Begone is a strange little record in that it doesn’t really sound like it has much in the way of structure — the songs are full of non-sequiturs and it isn’t until the third or fourth listen that the band’s genius becomes truly apparent. They are a band full of contradictions. With guitar, strings, keyboards and brass all at the band’s disposal, they’ve created some wonderful arrangements that are crowded yet manage to retain a surprising amount of clarity. They combine the ramshackle feel of early Guided By Voices with the greatness of Grandaddy without simply sounding like a mix of the two. There’s just so much potential on display here that it is hard not to be excited about Hallelujah The Hills. The band claim they are going to make 33 albums before breaking up and based on Collective Psychosis Begone, that still might not be enough to satisfy.