Abe Vigoda “Skeleton”

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Abe Vigoda
Skeleton
PPM

It’s hard to stand up for tropical tastes these days—thanks to Vampire Weekend’s near-nuclear proliferation—but Abe Vigoda keep at it better than anyone. Still, the band’s island expertise hasn’t been picked up nearly enough outside of L.A., left behind in favor of Weekend’s Tommy Bahama rock. (At this point, they’ve probably paid off all of their student loans thanks to the hype machine). But that’s okay because Abe Vigoda’s Skeleton is about as good as it gets, launching right from the place that Kid City left off. Reggie’s drumming has always been an anchor, but on Skeleton the guitars are purer than ever, sending out a sound that isn’t so much “bright” or “shiny” as it is the sound of steel, a percussive style that fits as much the psychedelic sounds of T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo as it does the band’s more no-wave traits. “Live-Long” is a fast classic (bouncing forward to a relatively long three minutes) and closer “Skeleton” comes as close to a sing-along as the band might ever get. The album barely breaks 30 minutes, but any more might be too much–Skeleton is perfectly proportioned.

— Miles Clements