Fan-Tan: A Strange Game

The current Brooklyn band trend appears to be a fascination with all things shoegaze and, like all revivals, these newer permutations run the gamut from dire to nearly as good as the real thing. Although a band such as Eastern Hollows is rekindling the joys of northern shoegaze in a heavier way that feels more whole, Fan-Tan are looking at the lighter side and coming up with sometimes-beautiful neo-shoegaze pop tunes.

Lilting and bright cuts such as “Avenue Lane” and “1989” on debut album A Strange Game will have you swooning in a way that only the best indie pop can. Elsewhere, these pop sensibilities work in preventing any gazey diversions from becoming too self-indulgent. A Strange Game doesn’t excuse the lesser shoegaze revivalists, but the good moments on it are so good that lead singer Ryan Lee Dunlap can be forgiven for his sometimes overly-affected vocals.