A member of OJO, head-mammal Chris Avitabile has been creating piecey “soundtrack-like” jams like these since 2006, after he returned inspired from his own travels to put his odd collection of instruments and records to use. Travel Themes, his third such labors of love and experimentation under the Collapsible Mammals banner, is a perfectly titled release, evoking exotic journeys, mutation, and mechanical whirring.

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It’s just sugary enough, and the lazy-slash-sunny California tinge eliminates any pretension that tends to bog down a lot of Spector wannabes these days. The simplicity is deceiving too, in that the tone of the mics and the amps really acts as another member of the band. Slumberland has found a sharp little band with these guys.

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The Longmont reputation has finally preceded itself: a respondent working at a record store hears LPC’s delay pedal antics and instantly recognizes it, one-upping the call by throwing back an LPC reference. I guess it had to happen sometime? Another sign that Longmont Potion Castle is asserting his place in the American cultural landscape!

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Without employing tired band comparisons to the Valley Arena’s angular modern rock sound, it’s hard to put a finger on exactly what makes this band interesting. It might be the calculated bass and guitar composition, or it might be the varied song structure; it’s most likely that they are talented song writers. In an A.D.D.-addled music scene where every band around town has to have a gimmick—which isn’t always a bad thing—it’s still somehow refreshing to hear a three-piece that just writes high-quality, straight-forward rock songs.

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