Cincinnati's Artificial Go do that thing that few bands can do well. It's a kind of naive pop, one where it sounds like the folks just picked up their own instruments and somehow stumbled their way into a hooky tune. Artificial Go do that thing many times on Musical Chairs, their new record on Feel It Records.
Things here hit a Feelies-ish peak early with "Circles", a real gem, while the strums of "The World is My Runway" offer up a hint of both Jonathan Richman and The Shaggs. Elsewhere, the lovely "Tight Rope Walker" gently churns with an obvious debt owed to both Velvet Underground (the third album and after, at least) and Yo La Tengo. "Playing Puppet", a highlight here for me, sounds a little like Look Blue Go Purple, or very early sides from The Clean. So what's not to love?
Musical Chairs by Artificial Go is out now via Feel It Records.
[Photo: Artificial Go]