Annuals - Sweet Sister EP (2010)

The Annuals' Sweet Sister sounds like the band playing around with electronic beats and fringe instruments. The bouncing "Loxtep" (mp3) incorporates a boing sound that could be a released spring or an African mbira, while "Turncloaking" has something that sounds like those cylinders that you turn upside down to make an animal noise. For all I know they both could be a keyboard. But the songs never suffer for the experimentation, rather they shift and shimmy with polyrhythms and breakbeats while kids cheer. The soothing "Holler And Howl" features electronic squiggles over a New Orleans shuffle. The EP is rounded out by a cover of Johnny Cash's "Flesh And Blood" that retains the sweeping country strings but with more upbeat vocals. Overall, it's a short, cohesive blast of fun indie pop. Sweet.

Annuals - Such Fun (2008)

I like the Annuals. I like their shambolic indie rock and the first half of the album is lots of fun. It's a little more polished than Be He Me, more along the lines of their song on the Wet Zoo split EP. Over all, the band sounds tighter. They work in a little punk guitar strum before breaking into pop shimmer, never straying to far from a melody. I especially like the rhythmic guitar on "Hot Night Hounds" and the stuttering drums on "Springtime". "Down The Mountain" adds a little country to the mix. However, none of the songs on the second half of the album stand out, slipping by pleasantly, but without leaving much of an impression. I had higher hopes for this album.

The Annuals @ Iota

The Hymns rocked the small stage with their country-tinged garage/roots rock and got the crowd warmed up. What they may have lacked in sonic creativity they made up for with sweat - a great band for a bar. The Annuals followed, pulling sounds from all over indie rock history, from hand claps and harmonies to discordant guitars and screaming. The music consistently sounded great, sprinkled with tempo changes and rhythmic breakdowns, although the vocals were sometimes a bit rough. Their best songs were their poppiest. Overall, it was a lot fun, even if some of the little details that made their album great were lost when they rocked out.

Annuals - Wet Zoo EP (2008)

Actually this is a split EP with Sunfold, basically, the same band, except fronted by the guitarist. The three Annuals songs are more of the wonderfully catchy indie pop found on Be He Me, although they're a little less experimental and a little more like the Shins, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. "Around Your Neck" is my favorite, with it's jangly guitar, peppy clapping and sing-a-long chorus. The Sunfold tracks sound like bland alternative pop/rock. If this EP was on vinyl it would rarely be flipped over.