Track a Tiger

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Amazon

Jim Vallet’s Track a Tiger aren’t resting on the laurels of their debut Woke Up Early the Day I Died one bit.  No sir, hot on the heels of that 2006 effort is We Moved Like Ghosts, with more dreamy indie-pop for you and yours. The key influences haven’t changed much in a year (the fuzzed-out bliss of Yo La Tengo is a huge wellspring, as is mid-period Wilco), but the band has gained in confidence and ability to wield its predilections on even stronger material. The bleed from the standout “Light” into another standout “All These Accidents” is masterful. The former opens with a bit of spoken-word French courtesy of Nitya Viswanath, and is peppered liberally throughout with sparkling keyboard effects, and the odd bedfellow of a banjo’s gentle clucking. From the pedal steel, strings, and horns on the brief “Sometimes Love Runs Out” to the sunny, seductive groove of “With Stars Down”, Track a Tiger appears close to felling the elusive prey of wider acclaim.

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