Indie pop continues to inspire a high number of outfits to write songs and practice them, then record them and release them to a public that’s ever hungry for jangling and chiming guitar melodicism. It’s a genre with an unusually high percentage of success, likely because the bands are doing it out of love and not for fame. Jeanines are clearly smitten as they add some gorgeous ache to their sharp, ’60s-influenced songs. Repeated spins haven’t revealed a flaw in the construction. This here’s the indie pop record of the year.
Over the course of a decade playing together and making records as Jeanines, the duo of Alicia Jeanine and Jed Smith have charted a distinctive course through the history of pop, evoking influences as varied as the 60s folk of early Fairport Convention and Vashti Bunyan, the sunshine pop of Margo Guryan and Laura Nyro, and of course indie pop touchstones like Dear Nora, Marine Girls, Dolly Mixture, and the post-Black Tambourine projects of Pam Berry.
Their new album “How Long Can It Last” finds Jeanines grappling with serious themes of personal and professional upheaval, adding weight to their finest set of songs yet. With lyrics that look deeply at time and its reverberations, connections and ruptures, songs like “Coaxed A Storm,” “What’s Done Is Done” and “On and On” combine richly melodic tunes and crisp arrangements to stellar effect. While the themes might be heavy, the melodies and harmonies are simply heavenly, elevating these economical songs and giving each the feeling of a lost classic.
Jeanines, “How Long Can It Last” released on Slumberland Records
The Fat Angel Sings 