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 Caught in the Carousel "There will be music despite everything"
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Hollands
Faces
Independent
"Pull me away from this broken paradise/There's nothing here anymore," sings John-Paul Norptoh, of the New York-based duo Hollands. On his band's Faces E.P., Norpoth emerges as one of the brightest new chroniclers of what happens when the heart goes weak and life goes up in flames. This five-song effort registers a band able to summon a staggering lullaby or a pop song that comes with all the prowl and fury of everyone from Nirvana to Public Image Ltd. The gritty ballad "Anomie" is nothing short of stunning; "Over And Out" finds Norpoth issuing the menacing warning of "You better go home," while the riveting whip of "Strong Arm" begins with a post-punk stutter step worthy of Orange Juice then cascades into one of the biggest shoegazer choruses of the year. Elsewhere, "Coughing Boy" is a mesmerizing number of empty freeways and rattling throats and "High Class" has all the coiled menace of The Pixies. Although the latter never erupts into wolfish Black Francis territory, its ability to withstand the temptation makes it all the more compelling.
—Alex Green
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