From the opening title track of Life Like, it’s clear that North Carolina indie pop duo the Rosebuds have tacked back from the admittedly awesome if somewhat non-sequitur disco-infused beats of 2006’s The Night of the Furies and towards the spooky southern gothic tone of their early work.
Videos by American Songwriter
Label: MERGE
[Rating: 3.5]
From the opening title track of Life Like, it’s clear that North Carolina indie pop duo the Rosebuds have tacked back from the admittedly awesome if somewhat non-sequitur disco-infused beats of 2006’s The Night of the Furies and towards the spooky southern gothic tone of their early work. Life Like owes much more to the equally awesome 2005 release Birds Make Good Neighbors-resulting in an album all the more rich and mature for it. That’s not to say that Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp have shaken all the funky grooves out of their system. “Bow to the Middle” rivals anything off of NotF in terms of infectious beats and sing-aloud hooks. Still, the album’s standout track is the nihilist piece “Nice Fox,” a minor-key foray into Fleet Foxes-style harmonic folk that tugs the heart with the tale of a friendly animal doomed to die a meaningless death.
