Ramped-up pop energy drives the record through to the end.
By Chad RadfordMonday September 14, 2009 01:00 PM EDT
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Box Elders’ debut Alice and Friends opens with &-;Jackie Wood,” a dirty pop anthem that lays all the cards on the table. Yes, they’re from Omaha, Neb., but the group’s stylish warble is imbued with such a gut-wrenching balance of giddy and unpretentious rock, haphazardly delivered, that each song teeters on collapse. The noisy concoctions of surf and ’60s pop inflections in &-;Stay,” &-;Necro” and &-;Talk Amongst Yourself” will inevitably draw comparisons to the Black Lips, but beyond the murk and garage riffs, ramped-up pop energy drives the record through to the end. &-;One Foot in Front of the Other” and &-;2012” are dark and aggressive, while &-;Death of Me” is a legitimately timeless nugget amid this grand unveiling of the group’s beautiful, jagged sound. (Goner Records) 4 stars out of 5-
