Belaire

Exploding Impacting (Indierect)

Close your eyes, cue instrumental opener “Jen,” then wait for the colors. Belaire’s full-length debut bursts with an entire spectrum of yellows, blues, and greens. “There’s No Tomorrow” is perfect, Sixties-style Spectorian pop; “Filling in the Cracks of Time” could be the lighter sector of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, a kaleidoscope of textures and sounds awash in the dreamy vocals of twin sisters Cari and Christa Palazzolo, while “Thin Lines” doubles as an Italian film score. “Shadows Moving on the Wall” dabbles in vaudeville, “Madison” morphs from an accordion-based waltz to a New Wave dance number, and the title track scores with vintage synth. Like Voxtrot’s “Firecracker,” Matt Simon proves the percussive catalyst behind “Don’t Delay, Participate!” and the occasional vocal assist from bassist Jason Chronis, particularly on the drug-reference-ridden “Step Step Step,” introduces a splendid boy-girl dynamic. The future has never looked brighter.

***.5

This article appears in July 27 • 2007.

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