Scout
This Soft Life
On Sale Now
For $11.48

Having been initially recorded in a basement in Queens, Scout still succeeded in capturing that elusive musical amalgam that is pop complexity. And kudos to them. The only thing I’ve recorded in a basement in Queens is the dismay of living in a basement in Queens. Just check my journal (er… laptop).

But I digress. This Soft Life is poppy, but certainly not cheap- something resembling Liz Phair before she went Brittney (not including the whole wanton feminist element, speaking of amalgams). The album is experimental enough to repel any chance of being generic and catchy enough to regulate its abstractness -insert Radiohead association here-.

Vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Ashen Keilyn’s intoned, magnetic (female) voice could be called dour but is too gorgeous to bring you down. Keilyn evokes sheer poignance along subdued jazz on “Just Between You And Me” and shines when set against a tranquil landscape of pithy guitar chords on “No One Asked You.”

This Soft Life is unassuming, intelligent and above all, catchier than a pop fly. Prepare to turn up your college radio.

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