Be He Me

neu, in Folie

Youngsters, they sure don't make them like they used to. Back in the day, all teenagers could sing about were cars, girls and becoming a rock star. Annuals' ringleader, Adam Baker, has not only shattered this outdated stereotype, but produced a record full of ingenuity and maturity that it would sit comfortably at any stage of what should be a distinguished career.

Although it's a record full of varying themes and a plethora of musical ideas, Be He Me's sound is loosely characterised as symphonic indie pop, wider in scope than The Flaming Lips and more earnest than The Sleepy Jackson. Opener "Brother," best showcases Annuals' talents - starting with 22 seconds of white noise, the first part building intrigue with its irregular melodic phrasing around lines such as "Me and my brother might find a turtle, we'll just have some fun." At 1:51 it explodes with a bombastic guitar hook and pounding drums; the nasal emo-esque tone of Baker's vocals come to the fore whilst straining "Now I've grown bold and lonely, I should have stayed with dear brother at home." Annuals are able to create a song with multiple sections without sounding inherently modular, showcasing the band's ability as a whole to seamlessly adapt to different soundscapes.

All these features continue throughout, supporting the consistently layered texture, yet remaining continuously varied. Several songs, including "Ida, My" and "Carry Around" are suitably enhanced by subtle electronic bleeps. Elsewhere melodic ideas remain infectious and hypnotic, not least the outro end of "Complete Or Completing" where the repeated lyrics of "Silence all the clocks tonight, it's show time with drinks to spill" which builds to a polyphonic cacophony. Amongst all this we also experience slide guitars in "Fair," subtly effective vocal harmonies in "Mother," and above all, a constant sea of catchy hooks.

Be He Me is not an album without fault - the middle of the album suffers from a momentary lack of energy and the erratic lyrics throughout indicate a slight lack of thematic focus. Away from the songs and performance, the production is often a little too wet, particularly during the quieter moments. Still, Annuals' debut record fully justifies the attention that it has received. It would be foolish to over-hype Baker as a prodigious visionary, but in Be He Me he and his friends from Raleigh, NC, have created a charming record full of creativity and spark that suggests the progression of the sextet could an intriguing one to follow.

k.A.