JOUSKA – topiary (CD)
Albany’s Jouska has been called many things since emerging from up- state New York’s underground DIY scene last year, most of which have little commonality other than clashing definitions: authentic, angsty, dreamlike, discordant, experimental, somber and uplifting to name a few. One blog even categorized the quartet’s debut full-length as “ghost-rock.” It’s a curious term, but apropos as the nine tracks on the gorgeous, captivating Topiary transmit as both otherworldly and achingly mysterious. Nevertheless, for all its ethereal qualities, the album is not unclassifiable ... providing you can embrace Topiary’s impressive depth and ambition. As evidence, Jouska expertly navigates post-rock’s ebbs-and-flows and the dreamy, atmospheric soundscapes of shoegaze while exploring emo’s earnestness and simultaneously traversing lo-fi bedroom pop that’s awash in reverb and a lackadaisical-yet-consoling vocal delivery. *Tiny Engines
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