 My Favorite The third of My Favorite's "Joan of Arc" EPs caps the series beautifully, bolstered by the almighty "Burning Hearts" – about as confident a song as I've ever heard come from the indiepop arena. It's a musical call-to-arms, shaking you out of your complacency to realize you ought to demand more from your indie bands. My Favorite delivers the goods where lesser (and more rabidly hyped) bands coast along on their one-trick ponies. Yeah, yeah, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are all well and good – but don't you want some fucking great songs, mate? Well, here they are. This disc is a thing of majesty – refreshing and new, like a Pimm's and Lemonade, and as tradition-bound. But the binding is to less-travelled traditions. Garage rock? Keep it. Synthpop? Bring it on. Dramatic, evocative, spacious, and some kind of heartbreaking – it's the music you wish all the old guys could still make. Depeche Mode might not be able to get it up anymore, but My Favorite's a big bottle of musical Viagra. Egad, did I just make a Viagra joke? I blame all the spam in my emailbox. Well, at any rate: GET INTO THIS BAND, ALREADY! Your soul deeply needs it. The three EPs are now being collected as one set, with some new music and remixes – so if you can't find the individual discs, you can still catch up on what you've missed. Unlike high school, which you only get one shot at. Which, incidentally, is why My Favorite exists.
Review by Reggie Barr |