Undead Review: Stamen & Pistils

Stamen & Pistils
End of the Sweet Parade
Echelon Productions
www.echelonproductions.com

Perhaps the biggest surprise on the soundtrack for 2004’s Garden State was Iron and Wine’s cover of The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights.” Well, let’s be specific: the surprise wasn’t the covering so much as the fact that The Postal Service’s techno-ey glitchpop translated wonderfully into a whispery acoustic arrangement. If the two acts were to jam together, they might sound like Stamen & Pistils. The D.C.-area group melds acoustic guitars and hushed voices with foamy, purring computers. The vocals and lyrics are introverted, while the electronic noise is talkative, at times deafening.

Occasionally The Sweet Parade’s concept exceeds its execution: the singing is gawky and untrained, and S&P prioritize fiddling with ambient textures over articulate songwriting. But on the whole, Stamen & Pistils break such imaginative ground that one is left counting possibilities rather than annoyances. By casting their electronics as warm and charming narrators, these musicians’ voices and instruments become cold, uncompromising antagonists. It’s the complete opposite of the typical folk-pop arrangement—which may not drive you back for repeat listens, but it’s certainly reason enough to watch what happens next.