Tap Into This

At first glimpse, Omaha's Tilly And The Wall appears to be all smoke and mirrors. After all, how can substituting a tap dancer for a drummer be seen as anything other than a stunt? Well, if you toss away your reservations for a half hour and actually let the music do the talking, you'll discover that this female-dominated Nebraska quintet has a penchant for rhythm that simply wouldn't work by adhering to traditional percussion guidelines. And for the record, tap dancing is just the beginning on O -- the band's third studio album. If you keep a close ear on this record's arrangements, you'll hear trumpets, trombones, accordions, mellotrons, and yes, even the elusive glockenspiel making their respective appearances at one point or another. So in a nutshell, calling this one melodic would be quite the understatement. O consists of a dozen cuts -- most of which do not exceed the three minute mark, so squeezing in this deep instrumental arsenal becomes quite the daunting challenge. Yet, Tilly And The Wall somehow figure out how to efficiently pack a punch in each tune. First single "Pot Kettle Black" has got that post-punk guitar drone we all know and love, mixed in with Jamie Presnall's machine-like stomping abilities and an anthemic chorus that's one part Pipettes and two parts Le Tigre. Album standout "Cacaphony" implements the band's harmonizing abilities backed by a horn section and fast-paced rhythm that's awfully flamenco sounding. These guys are anything but one trick ponies here -- the barebones ballad "Tall Tall Grass" tosses aside the shoes and is strickly acoustic and three part harmonizing. The rest of the album is infused with infectious blend of punky stomp pop that makes you want to get up and dance. If Tilly And The Wall are having as much fun playing as we are listening, then this group will be dancing their way to the mainstream before we know it.

My Rating: 7.8/10