Gigantic Hand: Permanent Skin

What began as an acoustic project by vocalist and guitarist Kris Kaczor eventually blossomed into a dark and multi-layered electronic pop quintet. Gigantic Hand, now based in Brooklyn, gleans components of new wave, Americana, folk and shoegaze for delightfully minimal and grandiose juxtapositions. At times, Gigantic Hand sounds like Modest Mouse with its loose camaraderie and slightly off choruses. Songs like “Not Back, Straight Up” begin slowly and then work themselves into unrestrained mayhem. Engineer Bill Skibbe (the Sea and Cake, Franz Ferdinand) helps to keep the band’s sound minimal and layered. As synths fade in and out, the sound shifts from the dissonant textures of Sonic Youth to the psychedelic, rolling guitar of the Sea and Cake (“11 to 40 Miles”).