Jaill's That's How We Burn Is Full Of Bridges to Nowhere

Buried three songs from the end of Jaill's That's How We Burn, the Milwaukee quartet unveils the sharpest moments of their Sub Pop debut in the Shins-esque melody to "Baby I." It's light, catchy, airy nasal pop. For a few moments. But like the rest of the 32 minutes of this hesitant record, the promising moments are short-lived. Drum fills that would otherwise signify the transition to a new idea, stagnate. The result in a directionless, uninspired collection of tunes that's full of noise but void of excitement. The elements of each song are disjointed, with Vincent Kircher's vocals squeaking atop riffs, fills, and chords that never congeal.

From the Dum Dum Girls' I Will Be to Golden Triangle's Double Jointer, The Sub Pop/Hardly Art family has issued their share of winning, modern garage albums this year. But unlike their above-mentioned labelmates, Jaill appears visionless. There are moments of new wave ("She's My Baby") and strokes of jangle ("Everybody's Hip"), but not a clear signal from the band that they're committed to bringing it all together.

Jaill - That's How We Burn by subpop