Iran
Dissolver (Narnack)
Conceived more than a decade ago as the noise-pop project of Aaron Aites, the difference between Iran’s 2003 opus, The Moon Boys – the first to feature TV on the Radio guitarist Kyp Malone – and third LP Dissolver is comparable to the quantum leap from Beck’s Mellow Gold to Odeley. The latter reins in and polishes lo-fi eccentricities on the former into a more coherent and easily enjoyable collage of alternative rock, and for the most part, it works. Produced by TVOTR’s Dave Sitek, Dissolver relies heavily on Malone’s contributions, from the bombastic buildup of standout opener “I Can See the Future” to “Buddy,” which marries shoegazed 1960s pop with his glacial-tremolo guitar. The two trade verses on the dreamy, bedroom pop of “I Already Know You’re Wrong,” while ballad “Baby Let’s Get High One Last Time Together” finds the perfect middle ground, balancing squalling guitar with a bottom-heavy groove, before spiraling into the aptly titled instrumental “Digital Clock and Phone,” as if wiping the slate clean. (Sat., Club de Ville, 8pm.)
This article appears in March 20 • 2009.