Letting Up Despite Great Faults
(self-titled debut, self-released)

Robots don't generally have emotions. They whir incessantly, their circuitry sparking as a sign of response. So when I first heard the opening chords of "In Steps" by the wonderful Letting Up Despite Great Faults played on a grinding metallic synth, I was oddly transfixed. Somehow, the sound I heard meshed perfectly with the rolling guitar that was full of life. The inanimate had somehow discovered emotion. And good god, what wonderful emotion it is.

Immaculate as factory-line products acing a 55-point quality check and innocent as two lovers lying in a field of heliotropes, Letting Up Despite Great Faults have created some of the purest and most sugarcoated tones I have heard all decade. Their ambient drift rivals My Bloody Valentine, while at the same time their digital backbone is synonymous with M83 or Death By Panda. Check out tracks like "Our Younger Noise" or "Folding Under Stories Told" and see for yourself what the fuss is all about.

The band hails from Los Angeles, but you may not know it upon first listen. Making a clear and conscious decision to not become another "surf/lo-fi" cliché of the indie scene, Letting Up... craft more than sweet music. They have, with their debut album alone, made a soundtrack to falling in love that won't feel out of place on a lonely lounge chair, a paragon of new music that is worth listening to (Take THAT, MTV!) and a stellar name for themselves that will undoubtedly be heard a lot in the coming months.

Perhaps there was a lesson to be learned from "One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21" by The Flaming Lips. Robots can have hearts. Consider this release all the proof you will ever need.


REVIEWED BY RAYMOND CHALMÉ
RAYMOND'S 3 FAVORITE TRACKS: "In Steps" • "Our Younger Noise" • "Folding Under Stories Told"
Read more from Raymond on his blog, Warm Tape.