Capsule Review: Cryptacize's Mythomania

The songs on their second release, Mythomania, are attention grabbing, frequently gorgeous, and utilize Cohen’s guitar chops to a surprising extent. Carreira is a talented percussionist who values restraint, and Torisi, though not the most powerful vocalist, has a sweet delivery and a spot-on tone. Songs like “New Spell” revel in repetitive but smart choruses, and album starter “Tail & Mane” kicks off with a bouncy beat and the bittersweet refrain, “If I could find/ my way back to you.” The title track has a jaunt a little reminiscent to The Crystals and boasts a killer ‘60s chorus to boot.

Cohen takes the microphone to lend the occasional backing vocals, and to lead “What You Can’t See Is.” Though not as sprightly as Torisi, his vocals lend some melancholy to what would otherwise be a perhaps preternaturally peppy release. The five-minute “Galvanize” also veers into darker shades, but the organ, piano, and Torisi’s vocals warmly transcend the difficult subject matter.

The one critique of Mythomania that comes to mind is that as accomplished as it is, it doesn’t sound radically different than anything you’ve heard before, or skirt convention the way a band like, say, Deerhoof might. That might be a deterrent for the more experimentally minded, but Mythomania has enough to recommend it to even the most casual indie-pop fan.

Cryptacize: [website] [myspace]

Visit Daytrotter and WFMU's On the Download to hear sessions with Cryptacize.