Friends of Lizzy

Friends of Lizzy

Perfect Little Pieces (Fifth Column)

For all of the fuzzborn pop bands with a healthy admiration for Weezer, few have the chops to pay proper homage. Friends of Lizzy do, and on "Molly," the Austin pop/rockers manage their way into a narrative framed by riffs that "weez" while they roll. On the quartet's debut, Perfect Little Pieces, Lizzy goes beyond simple "Sweater Song" riffs in boosting their musical IQ. As evidenced on sweetly nuanced tunes like "Meryl B," the band shares lyrics with a powerful string quartet. Much credit belongs to producer Lars (Oliver Future) Göransson, who's found his next Austin act in which to balance melody and malady. There's no better way to explain tracks such as "11/25/02" as their lyrics ("This is what it feels like to rip apart someone's home/You already know, I already knew") dance over a violin. And while the Weezer homage is (mostly) endearing, it's the one thing holding Friends of Lizzy back from achieving their own unique musical personality. There's nothing separating lackluster fare like "Indemnity" from Jimmy Eat World B-sides. With Friends like these, however, we're willing to see them through.