They’ve been called the Canadian Shins and compared, somewhat inexplicably, to Hunter S. Thompson, but the best and easiest point of reference for anyone who hasn’t heard Mother Mother is the Pixies – the five-piece combo takes that band’s sweetly shrill male/female vocal dynamic, boils off all the aggro noise surrounding it, swaps it out for layers of smart, pleasantly unexpected pop production, and emerges with one of the nicest indie surprises of 2008. O My Heart follows Mother Mother’s debut, Touch Up, which earned frothy raves from the hip-crit elite – but don’t let that keep you from experiencing this record’s deliciously catchy pleasures. They’re boundary pushers, but mainly because they have such a rare gift for combining an eclectic spirit with an unerring sense of songcraft; in the space of a dozen tracks, they manage to run the gamut from the classic pop of “Flaming Pile” and “Wisdom” to the stuttering, angular “Hayloft” without stopping to catch their breath. And here’s the best part: O My Heart actually gets better as it goes along, instead of running out of steam after a few great tracks; the eight-nine punch of “Hayloft” and “Wrecking Ball” – the latter of which finds the band sounding like Rilo Kiley’s estranged younger cousins – is as good, if not better, than anything else on the record. And they’re just getting started – we can’t wait to hear what comes next. (Last Gang 2008)
