Annuals have always been a hard act to pin down. Since bursting out of Raleigh with 2006’s Be He Me, they’ve certainly been ‘alternative’, but alt-what? They can do epic grandeur, with massive instrumentation, and multiple guitarists, keyboardists, and even drummers. But they can also do sweet alt-country strum with the best of them. They can even rearrange their line-up, as when guitarist Kenny Florence moved to vocals & singer/keyboardist Adam Baker (QRO interview) went to drums, as alter-ego/side-project Sedona (actually a return to their very original format, as Florence-led Sedona), putting out the less massive Toy Tugboats (QRO review). Indeed, between Be He & Toy Tug was the Annuals/Sunfold split, Wet Zoo EP (QRO review). Wet Zoo served as both a side-step towards Sunfold, and also a ghost-step before their Be He bigger follow-up, 2008’s Such Fun (QRO review). And now Annuals do the EP two-step again, with the sweet Sweet Sister.
Click here QRO’s interview with Annuals bassist Mike Robinson in 2008
Click here QRO’s interview with Annuals singer/guitarist Adam Baker in 2007
Click here for photos of Annuals at SXSW 2009 in Austin, TX
Click here for QRO’s review of Annuals at Bowery Ballroom in New York, NY on January 28th, 2009
Click here for photos of Annuals at 2008 Fun Fun Fun Fest 2008 in Austin, TX
Click here for photos of Annuals at CMJ 2008 in New York, NY
Click here for photos of Annuals at 2008 Siren Music Festival in Coney Island, NY
Click here for photos of Annuals at Great Scott in Boston, MA on November 1st, 2007
Click here for photos of Annuals at Bowery on Halloween, 2007
Click here for photos of Annuals at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn, NY on July 22nd, 2007
Click here for live review of Annuals at Paradise in Boston, MA in January, 2007
Though not a split personality split EP, Sister feels somewhere between Annuals and Sunfold – less the grandeur of Wet Zoo‘s "Sore" (QRO video), more the alt-country of Be He‘s "Hardwood Floor" (QRO video) or Wet Zoo‘s "Around Your Neck". Indeed, Sister opener "Loxtep" has the lyrics, "Your line around my neck / keeps pullin’ & pullin’", amidst a relaxed, bright near-salsa, with sad undertones. The sadness stays on the distant "Turncloaking", but this is a decided bright record, as the near-salsa gets brighter with the title track, while "Holler and Howl" is a nice bopping strum with some bigger moments, and closer "Flesh and Blood" is the cheeriest thing Annuals have ever done, with alt-pop/folk sweetness & catch.
Is Sweet Sister a side-step by Annuals, before ‘returning’ to their grander sounds for the next full-length? Or is it a ghost-step, hinting at where they’re going on the next record? Does it have to be an either/or? Annuals can – and have – walked in all kinds of genre terrain, such as the sweet paths of Sweet Sister.
MP3 Stream: "Loxstep"
