The Eastern Stars’ particular brand of indie folk isn’t really all that particular. The duet, consisting of Mixel Pixel members Rob Corradetti and Kaia Wong, makes the sort of unobtrusive music that gets played late in the evenings of house parties hosted by college radio djs.* Nothing that great happens on the Stars’ debut album, July 5th, 1961, but nothing that terrible happens either.

The album was recorded using an 8-track in Corradetti’s basement, and the sound is at times so poor that the audio takes on a tinny quality. Lower production values can work well, as demonstrated by projects like the Moldy Peaches and the Mountain Goats, but here the effect is often distracting. At times, the tracks sound unfinished in a way that seems more amateurish than lo-fi.

That being said, there are a few sweet moments. The instrumental “Jail Bait Baby” sounds like a gentle nocturne, and the thinness of the sound helps create the feeling of a musicbox lullaby. Similarly, the album’s opening track, “They Know What To Do” is stripped down in a way that adds to the soft vocals and gentle melody.

Corradetti and Wong are obviously skilled musicians, a fact demonstrated by the range of instrumentation employed on July 5th, 1961. The duo play instruments ranging from Moog to violin to percussion. However, that alone is not enough to carry the album, and although the Eastern Stars may well be capable of producing something earcatching and innovative, they haven’t quite managed to do so on their first album.

*Not that we have anything against college radio djs. In fact, some of us were college radio djs.