Album Details

• Artist: The Small Cities
• EP:
The Small Cities
• Label: Common cloud
• Year of Release: 2009
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2009-02-11

This short, self-titled EP by The Small Cities, who recently settled in Minneapolis is moody indie pop with plenty of light around the edges. There is enough here in little bites to make you want to hear more, which is the job usually assigned to EPs. Guitarist/vocalist Leif Bjornson's singing on "This City" and "Fargo" is ethereal but grounded. The band seems to like to hide the big moments inside subtle small ones, with simple melodies revealing themselves over repeated listens.

"I'm gone" is also an edgy, tiny-hooked track with meaty lyrics and features vocals by drummer David Osborn. The only misstep here is "Trust me, I am NOT a stalker," which, while its nerdy ambience might have been included to show the band's range, sticks out as a dud compared to the other tunes. Just when you get used to a band with heart, the tune veers us off into the pointless.

Still, three out of four ain't bad, and The Small Cities have enough heart and soul to overcome the occasional faux pax. This EP is a quiet, pensive winner, full of melody and wry observation that, if carried through consistently on a full-length, would make The Small Cities a band to keep an eye on.

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