The Sleepover Disaster: Hover

The Sleepover Disaster
Hover
Devil in the Woods
2009-02-10

Remember when My Bloody Valentine followed Loveless with a mediocre, watered-down stab at mainstream appeal produced by, say, Butch Vigg? Yeah, neither do I — but if it existed, I imagine that album sounding a bit like The Sleepover Disaster. Hover, the California trio’s third full-length in over a decade, comes out in 2009, yet its heart remains firmly in 1992: noisy shoegazer moping married to grand, swelling choruses, a combination as solidly consistent as it is unremarkable. On tracks like “Friend” and “Code Breaker”, the atmospheric wall of guitar noise — a trademark for this band — is both colossal and somehow domesticated, triumphed by songwriter Luke Giffen’s anthemic, pop sensibilities. Ultimately Hover resembles just about every indistinguishable opening act you’ve ever enjoyed — until, that is, each song reveals itself as quite like the last.

RATING 5 / 10