Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Dear Unknown Band From Middle-of-Nowhere Missouri,

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Firstly, your name, which tickles me in ways I don't fully understand. Secondly, your singer's voice, like a friendly, joy-buzzed handshake from the Mendoza Line alternated with the emotional embrace of a Bright Eyes or Elliott Smith. Thirdly, your occasionally geeky sense of humor, evident in your sentence-length moniker and songs like "Pangea," in which you winkingly excavate the similarities between two drifting lovers and the fractured demise of Earth's original monocontinent. Fourthly, and most importantly, the fact that your debut is one of those rare albums where every song is crafted, delicious, and essential. This is disgusting, really, given the fact that the oldest member of your band is only 22.

Yours truly,

Chris Baty