Tilly and the Wall

TheOwlMag on Tilly and the Wall

Artist: Tilly and the Wall Album: O Label: Team Love Rating: Buy it >>

On their third album, Tilly and the Wall continue to experiment and progress while delivering what their fans want to hear: super-fun, energetic pop with powerful vocals courtesy of sassy (and occasionally foul-mouthed) singers Kianna Alarid and Neely Jenkins, set to quirky beats created by the feet of tap dancer Jamie Pressnall. The album starts off mellow with “Tall Tall Grass,” a gorgeous love letter to rock ‘n’ roll, and then switches gears completely with “Pot Kettle Black,” a fierce, hard-hitting Yeah Yeah Yeahs-style rocker with shouted lyrics tearing down a hypocritical woman.

The rest of the album has plenty of the upbeat, summery pop songs you’d expect to hear on a Tilly and the Wall release, including “Cacophony,” “Alligator Skin” and “Dust Me Off.” The instantly memorable vocal melodies on “Falling Without Knowing,” which uses an electronic beat, and “Bloodflower,” which has a darker vibe than most Tilly songs, make them stand out as two of the album’s strongest songs. The final track, “Too Excited,” starts off with a 30-second tap dance solo and then turns into a ferocious party anthem.

There’s plenty here to excite both old and new fans, and to prove that pop sounds the best when it has plenty of both sugar and spice.

- Review submitted by Kiri Oliver.