Homespun: The Hibernauts, Velvet Suit

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews the Hibernauts' new album, Velvet Suit.

Suit opens with the slow-grower "Make Me a Son," which unfolds with plaintive piano chords, some George Harrison-inspired slide guitar and a string section. Where the Hibernauts of old couldn't wait to get to the hook or unload a big fat chorus, the song displays twin traits of patience and destruction: After a steady build to the coda, everything -- even those pretty violins -- gets loaded into the shredder. However, the next track, "Intermurals (sic)," takes the band right back to where it started: It's a frenetic, supercharged indie-rock tune with a fixation on the whims and vagaries of college coeds. The style isn't a bad place to call home; the song's stop-start dynamics and an especially pliant bass line make it comfortably catchy. However, it sets the stage for an album which vacillates between new elements (slower tempos, an extended arsenal of sounds) and old ones (Strokes-y rhythms, from-the-hilt vocals).

Read the rest here. The band's CD release show is this Saturday, November 21, at Off Broadway. The Blind Eyes and Gentleman Auction House are also on the bill.

MP3: The Hibernauts, "Intermurals [sic]"