Octoberman

Ostensibly composing a travelogue, Kids These Days’ Marc Morrissette reminds listeners of the rootsier edges of indie rock. Though endearing, songs like "Walking Time” and "X-Pat” revel a bit too much in their one-dimensional stream of consciousness poetry. Morrissette is certainly a gifted storyteller and something like "Merci Cornerstone” or "Tokyo Nightmare” demonstrates his dynamic songwriting approach. There is something distracting about Morrissette’s phrasing, however, as his voice bears a more than passing resemblance to Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus. In the context of Octoberman, by and large, Morrissette’s songs end up sounding like re-writes of "Stop Breathing” or "Range Life.” It’s not an altogether terrible circumstance, as These Trails is as musically pleasant as it is lyrically moody, which makes for some interesting listening.