27

Boston's three-piece 27 debuts with this seven-song release, but I didn't care much for this one. As much as I tend to desperately fish for the good in all music - no matter the genre - this one just bored me. Maria Christopher's vocals were okay, Ayal Naor's guitar was okay, and Thos Nile's percussion was okay, but despite all those elements together, the songs just didn't go anywhere. The folky shoe-gazing pop sound was missing a certain je ne sais pas. The songs were simple in both lyrics and arrangements and didn't seem heartfelt enough for the mood they were trying to convey. The songs all trudged along at a snail's pace; as I was listening I just kept getting more and more impatient waiting for them to go somewhere. They do a cover of Canadian icon Neil Young's "Danger Bird," so fans of the aging rock god may find redeeming qualities in this disc. Apparently, they're working on a full-length release. Hopefully, it'll be more exciting than this one.