Chopper

The first two albums from Torontos Kiwi Jr. were perfect capsules of indie rock, with the laissez-faire delivery of Pavement in their prime, the collegiate jangle of the Feelies, and an abundance of hooks tying the songs together. Third album Chopper switches things up somewhat with a newfound emphasis on synths and cleaner production, but the bands surreal lyrics and smart melodic style still steal the show. Wolf Parades Dan Boeckner was brought in to help with production, marking both Boeckners first official work as a producer and Kiwi Jr.s first time not handling the production themselves. The additional input results in more defined sounds across the board, and the new electronic element pops out immediately in the synth leads that drive energetic opener "Unspeakable Things" and with the harpsichord-like sounds that fill out the choruses of "The Sound of Music." Where influences like Pavement or Jonathan Richman were easy to spot on the first two albums, the more restrained tempos and dusty neon synth tones of songs like "The Extra Sees the Film" make more apparent how much Kiwi Jr. borrow from the Strokes. Deeper still, "Night Vision" sounds informed not so much by 80s synth pop as it does the Strokes in their synth pop-leaning Angles era. The laser-beam guitar leads on "Kennedy Curse" and reverb-swaddled drum machine of "Contact Killers" are new sounds for Kiwi Jr., but vocalist Jeremy Gaudets lyrics remain a patchwork of bizarre imagery, disillusioned characters, and niche cultural references set against landscapes of urban sprawl. The ten tracks that make up Chopper are a new chapter of the bands sound, but if the arrangements were stripped down and the recording was far shabbier, this batch of songs would still represent forward movement in the groups evolution. As it stands, Choppers ear-candy synths and vivid production simply add new layers of intrigue to Kiwi Jr.s unshakable foundation of consistently strong (and pervasively catchy) indie rock songwriting. ~ Fred Thomas