Say Hi

Um, Uh Oh (Barsuk)

Say Hi always delivers mixtape manna, charmingly awkward and unassuming odes of musical mumblecore. Eric Elbogen’s is a lonely kind of love and affection, dreaming at bedroom walls of worlds in adolescent fantasies that ache with a touching sincerity and wit even when yearning for robots. With his seventh album overall and third since shortening his moniker to simply Say Hi, Seattle’s Ferocious Moper continues to shake off his former lo-fi sonics without losing the aesthetic. “Dots on Maps” segues the sway of its late-night yearning into “Devils” with aggressive rhythms that pounce like a one-man dance party in the garage. “Take Ya’ Dancin'” stands out like a Cure hit written in a John Hughes film, and “Lookin’ Good” smacks a bit of classic Costello to the light, trembling glow of “Handsome Babies.” There’s growth here even amid the stumbles, Elbogen realizing with closer “Bruises To Prove It” that black and blue are “still better than a torn-up heart.” (Thu., 11pm, Red Eyed Fly)

***.5

This article appears in March 18 • 2011.

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Doug Freeman has been writing for the Austin Chronicle since 2007, covering the arts and music scene in the city. He is originally from Virginia and earned his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He is also co-editor of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, published by UT Press.