Aqueduct

Releasing an album in January might prevent it from getting swept away in the flood of CDs that appear during "Rocktober,” but it also means that it is very likely to be forgotten when the best of the year lists are compiled eleven months later. And it would be a real pity if Aqueduct is one of those forgotten releases. David Terry, the only permanent member of Aqueduct, doesn’t shy away from such labels as "bedroom rock” because he likes that fact that he can single-handedly record and produce his own records. I Sold Gold, the band’s first album for Barsuk demonstrates that Terry has been honing his songwriting skills since his self-released debut back in 2003. He has moved beyond the lo-fi Casio experiments of his early days and seems to have gotten his hands on superior equipment that finds him sounding more like Grandaddy and the Postal Service which, let’s face it, isn’t the worst company to find yourself in. Terry has been blessed with both a sense of humour (with song titles like "Hardcore Days and Softcore Nights”) and the ability to pen some witty songs that don’t have to hide behind layers of production. Instead, the arrangements are simple yet interesting and very, very catchy. He does re-record a few songs from earlier releases, and they do sound better for it, but hopefully he will finally let those older songs go and focus on the future, which is looking a whole lot brighter thanks to the majesty of I Sold Gold.