Let It Sway

Personnel: John Robert Cardwell (vocals, guitar, mandolin, timpani); Philip Dickey (vocals, guitar, piano, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer, marimba, drums); Jonathan James (vocals, guitar, drums); Chris Walla (guitar, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer, percussion); Will Knauer (guitar); Mark Cassidy (banjo).
Audio Mixer: Beau Sorenson.
Recording information: Alberta Court, Portland, OR; Smart Studios, Madison, WI; Springfield, MO.
Photographers: Sophie Parker; Chris Beckman.
After pulling double duty as producers and performers on their first two albums, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin hand the production reins over to Chris Walla, who fills the band's third record with a mix of quirky, lo-fi gloss and nuanced arrangements. This is a breezy record, shot through with jangled bits of folk, rock, and alt-country but largely focused on the group's pop sensibilities. Free to focus on the music instead of the production, SSLYBY brew up a sound that recalls early Sloan and Fountains of Wayne records, with slightly sloppy guitar solos and thick, double-tracked vocal harmonies drawing the clearest parallel between SSLYBY and the bands they emulate. Walla honors the band's lo-fi roots by keeping things analog and homemade-sounding, occasionally tossing in some studio trickery but always doing so in a tasteful, light-handed way. ~ Andrew Leahey