Spooling twinkling synth, xylophone, accordion, piano, acoustic guitar, strings, and drum threads together with the subtle skill of a projectionist linking disparate reels of film, Team LG refuse to redact the pleasures of traditional indie rock despite their tendency to slip into soundtrack mode.
We'll get to guessing the meaning of the LG in a moment, but first... to the critic cave! Led by a pair of charming Brits – one female, the other, you know – whose voices slow-drip over a fleet of varying elements like syrup filling the nooks and crannies of a steam-hot waffle, Team LG, the first band on the Kennington Recordings roster, certainly live up to the imprint's motto: "Welcome to our world. It rocks... (but gently)."
Sleepy-eyed and sluff-stepping through a mellow-yellow world of Stereolab-lite dots and Liverpudlian loops, The Way We Do It goosesteps its way along for long stretches of time, always boomeranging back to relevance just before the listener packs it in. The transition from "Not a Lot of Long Days" to the songs that follow serves as a telling blueprint, the track wading through a mucky lone piano line before yielding late-album gem "My Little Ache," which ties tiny string taps to exultant bells and shiny guitar strums, the whole package so light and fluffy it could very well send your boombox floating like a z-grade zeppelin.
A mournful mash of moonshine and a love for the morose, The Way We Do It coats the ear in lush environs altogether removed from the standard fare of Ye Trad Indie-Rock Band, its originality being the biggest selling point. Hopefully, Team LG's second chapter will harness this glow with a presence befitting a distant flame rather than a nearby flicker.
And now, the asstastic acronym-guessing game! Team Lentil Guillotine? Team Love that Genome? Team Lumpy Gash? Team Love Gape? Team Last Gingersnap? Team Lip Gravy? You decide... (but for the record my money's on Team Laughable Guggenheim)...
1. The Way We Do It
2. Jesus in a Show
3. These Things Happen To You
4. On Fire
5. Words Run Dry
6. Iliffe Morning
7. Little Anne
8. It's OK
9. Big Man
10. Not a Lot of Nice Days
11. No Fun
12. My Little Ache
13. Over and Out
More about: Team LG
