Hawaii

Former Bionic and Bodega member Sam Goldberg teams up with Samantha Terry on this dreamy, languorous debut that bears no sonic resemblance to the Hawaiian pop antics of the Beach Boys or High Llamas. Instead, imagine the Vaselines playing at half speed and singing in whispers, or the Delgados reworking a selection of Cowboy Junkies material and you’ll be in Hawaii’s stylistic ballpark. Instrumentation ranges from acoustic guitar and simple percussion to electronic skronk and lush keyboard washes. The band puts forth a range of distinct musical personalities, but minimalist tendencies, strong vocal performances and engaging lyrics serve as the common creative integers.