Portico

What a blessing Lyn Heinemann’s voice is; sweet enough to grab the attention, but with enough husk and edge to know that she means business. Why, this lead singer of Vancouver, BC’s Portico has a voice that is so ’90s it’s uncanny. Wonderfully, it’s not only Portico’s vocals, but their backing music that brings to mind the certain mid-’90s indie aesthetic found in such bands like the Spinanes and the great, somewhat obscure Jen Trynin. Essentially, it walks the thin line between stripped DIY and a certain twee sheen. Not quite both, but grasping enough to make some great bewitching results. This tight indie energy springs to life best in "Good Ladies Go to Good Graves,” where as the title suggests, there is a great sneer to Heinemann’s urgency. There is also a grand skewed beat and sensibility to slower burns like "A Quiet life” and "Ryan, You Said Too Much.” While the nine songs may adhere to their aesthetic a little too closely, Shape to Form just gets better with every listen.