Mind Palace Music＜Blue & White Marble Vinyl＞

@ (pronounced "At") is the experimental folk-pop duo of Philadelphia singer/songwriter Victoria Rose and Baltimore multi-instrumentalist Stone Filipczak. Despite using one of the most ubiquitous symbols of the 21st century as a band name, their music is quite unique. On their debut album, Mind Palace Music, @ present a winsome hybrid of melodic acoustic songwriting, ambitious arrangements, and the type of smart, lo-fi chamber pop that harkens back to the Elephant 6 Collectives more ornate side. Add to that echoes of U.K. folk, 60s psych, and even 70s prog rock, though these descriptions make them sound overly complex and rooted in the past, which they are not. In fact, @s songs are surprisingly approachable with direct yet nimble melodies and enough free space to support the unique quirks scattered throughout the set. The shimmering "Parapet" opens the album with a wash of guitar, piano, and flute ferrying the duos harmonies through the mist. With its unpredictable bassline and woodwind stacks, "Letters" is a luminous little romp with a peculiar rising and falling vocal melody that only enhances the sweetness in Roses voice. Filipczaks "Friendship Is Frequency" pairs stripped-down indie rock appeal with offbeat chord changes and more of the dark-toned woodwinds that decorate so much of Mind Palace Music. The whole affair is charmingly homespun yet innovative in its compact structure and vision. Many of its songs dont even reach the two-minute mark, and some just end or trail off abruptly, having dazzled the listener with some unique passage or guitar run. Only one song, the murky "Cut from Toxic Cloth," really approaches a fairly standard guitar/bass/drums arrangement, and yet its parts (particularly the bass and harmonies) are still a thrill. As collaborators, Rose and Filipczak have loads of chemistry, and their pooled strengths make this debut a creative triumph. ~ Timothy Monger