The Slow Signal Fade -- Steady

Part Grace Slick and (bigger) part Alanis Morissette, Sri Lankan-born vocalist Marguerite Olivelle steers Los Angeles-based quartet The Slow Signal Fade through a forest of mystical Indie Rock on the band's debut full-length, Steady. For a band less concerned with blunt directness and more in tune with their inner shoegazer, it's interesting that they chose Steve Albini to produce the album. But Albini's notoriously raw approach works surprisingly well on Steady; it allows the natural echo of the band's sound to resonate nakedly, making their gushing tide feel less like a studio-concocted "wall of sound." There's not a lot of traditional "layering" on Steady; as is Albini's style, overdubs appear minimal. That speaks a lot to the band's ability to create a hypnotic mood without resorting to 25 tracks of over-effected guitars stacked on top of each other. Guitarist Ron Ulicny does a lot of reverb-tinged, single note plucking, akin to The Cure at their spaciest, while the rhythm section casts a fluid, celestial spell beneath. Olivelle's vocal similarities to Alanis are occasionally distracting (and on "The Same Song," she treads dangerously close to Cranberries territory), but her creative, impulsive melodies have a Middle Eastern snakiness about them that helps set them apart. Only a couple of songs on Steady clock under three-minutes (the lysergic "At Least We're Dancing" rambles like a trippy Zeppelin jam for almost 10), but if you are a fan of trance-inducing Post Punk, once you're strapped in, you're not likely to want to pull this car over right away anyhow. The Slow Signal Fade plays Northside's The Comet on Friday. (Mike Breen) Grade: B

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