less than a billion people - carousel

Less Than A Billion People

Carousel
self-releasd; 2013

3.7 out of 5

By Sean Dennison

First off, props for using the word “than” correctly.

Second off, Less Than a Billion People is a Spanish twee-pop group that cuts its teeth with this EP, Carousel; six songs about sugary relationships that don't really work out, unless they do. Pedro Chazarra has a sexy, sort of controlled yelp. It totally works on songs like "The Storyteller" when he's backed by buoyant instrumentation and attempting to sing his own backup melodies. But then they do the exact same thing on "Carousel" and it's not as cool. Which is a bummer because the opener "Strange D-ay" is cool and funny as hell, an infectious semi-spoken word piece about bad luck. The second song  combines  some beautiful string work (violins I believe)  with a cute lead female vocal. Her voice reminded me a bit of Mirah at points and was one of the highlights of the album. "The Storyteller" isn't their  best song but does have it moments. The light hearted background vocals work providing a loose vibe to song while the string work adds a nice touch.

This is a weird EP to me; I can't tell if my wavering interest is due to the music or my mood swings. At points this is exactly what I need, especially when Chazarra throws his accent into the subdued "Don't Go and Burn Your Bridges." The closer, "What I Know (Pt. II)" basically rehashes the entire EP.

Indie fans will eat this up. The music even sounds attractive, like that guy in the back of the classroom who never talks but you know he's a nice guy? That's what this music is to me.

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