Self-Released; 2004
Rating: 7.0

The bad/great thing about music today is that any schmuck with a sound card and a few software synths can record an album. Eureka Sön is more a compilation of the band’s best work to date than an album, but as a scattered collection of cheaply produced indie rock tracks you could hardly ask for better - or more varied. Album opener ‘Antes’ is the atonal Spanish Pet Sounds track The Beach Boys never recorded. ‘Centro’ builds to a synth-buried Kenna chorus. ‘Reversible’ belongs on a poor man’s Kid A. ‘Ti’ is ripped from Now Here Is Nowhere. And don’t forget the aptly titled ‘Holey Foley’ and the glitch-techno cacophony of ‘Ruido’. Album pepper their… album… with a dozen styles, many of which they pull off as well as genre veterans. They do occasionally fail, however: ‘Crei’ and ‘Yoo’ are bland 90s alt-rock ripoffs without the crisp production.

Don’t dismiss Album’s music along with their moniker. If they apply their talent to just a few of the diverse styles on Eureka Sön for their next LP (due this fall), they might write one of the best albums of 2005. You can download Album’s entire catalog from their website.