Annuals

Sweet Sister EP (Terpsikhore)

By Anne C. Johnson
Published: April 4th, 2010 | 7:00am

In 2006, Raleigh’s Annuals were the darlings of the indie music world upon the release of their debut LP, Be He Me (Ace Fu). Buoyed by the hype, this youthful band—all six members were barely twenty at the time—landed on a major label subsidiary (Columbia’s Canvasback Records) for their second full-length, Such Fun. Sweet Sister sees the band returning to its own indie label (Terpsikhore) and was written, recorded, and produced entirely by its front man Adam Baker in the band’s hometown of Raleigh.

Annuals are compared to everyone from the Beach Boys to Pink Floyd, but mostly to Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene. With the grand, sweeping orchestration of the Annuals’ earlier releases, the resemblance is clear. What was always unique about the Annuals, though, were the many layers in their music; strata that were often overwhelmed by grandiose arrangements. The Sweet Sister EP has the band reigning in these theatrical gestures and weaving them in among the many tiers. Some new international flavors have found their way into the songs (“Loxtep” and “Sweet Sister” to name a couple), but as on “Holler and Howl,” Annuals have wrapped their ever-emerging Southern roots around these new sounds and neatly sewed them together. Some may miss the drama of the Annuals’ earlier work, but overall Sweet Sister is an exercise in restraint with some absolutely gorgeous results.

Annuals MySpace

Terpsikhore