O

Tilly and the Wall
Team Love Records

A band that often uses a tap dancer for percussion instead of drums? With a new album that's being called O by default because the cover has no title, just a big circle? You could be forgiven for writing this group off as gimmicky, but you'd be wrong. Tilly and the Wall make fun, high-energy indie pop that ought to put a smile on your face. Maybe the secret is the tap dancing, because the group has a knack for playful and seductive rhythms like the ten person strong footstomping section on the rocking "Pot Kettle Black" or the staccato singing on "Jumbler." And throughout, the aggressive singing and driving guitars seem to oscillate together into something hypnotic. Beautiful harmonies and melodies lurk under the oral assault, and the acoustic "Tall Tall Grass" is a lovely respite from loudness. Tilly's turn into New Wave on "Falling Without Knowing" is a less successful diversion, but that's the only bum track on this invigorating disc.