Review: TV Torso - Status Quo Vadis EP
When it comes to Texas indie rock, Spoon rules the roost. This inconvenient truth has not gone unnoticed by the ex-Sound Teamers who head TV Torso. Frontdude Matt Oliver bears both a vocal and lyrical resemblance to Spoon leader Britt Daniel, though it’s unclear whether it’s a deliberate homage or communing with a kindred spirit. At any rate, while the Austin trio’s Status Quo Vadis EP certainly brings Spoon to mind on tracks like “Slouch Hat City” and “Two Glass Eyes,” it would be unfair to call the band a clone. Oliver is equally in thrall to the kind of shimmering British guitar pop that’s inspired young Americans for three decades, evidenced by “Nobodies” and “Far Enough Away.” When the band puts it all together, as on the mesmerizing epic “Slanderers’ Stew,” it’s the sound of TV Torso finding itself, locating a niche in the indie rock world haunted by the ghosts of its mentors, rather than occupied by them.
Stream the record at Bandcamp.
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