Schooner
Neighborhood Veins
Potluck
Street: 09.24
Schooner = The Raveonettes + Morrissey + Black Rebel Motorcycle Club + Joe Meek
When I think of what a great indie band could sound like, it sounds like this unfortunately named band, Schooner. Moniker aside, they have wonderfully atmospheric songs. Although the structures of the songs are simple, it’s what has been built around each tune that pulls the listener into the performance of this record. It’s like they’ve found a way to engage more of my brain—I hear so much in a lot of these songs, that my mind is constantly entertained with the myriad of ideas that’s being thrown at it by these guys. Spooky country songs bleed into ’50s rockers and soulful harmonies accent slow ballads. Like I said before, this is what indie should be: With every chance they get Schooner exercise the freedom they’ve cultivated for themselves. I may hate the band’s name, but this record, Neighborhood Veins, is a piece of superb audio art. –James Orme