Miniature Tigers Fortress

The Miniature Tigers latest album, Fortress, sounds as if the band have built one around their sound which is so clearly rooted in the 60's that it would make Of Montreal blush. Sounding something like the Kinks hanging out in Waterloo Station with the aforementioned Of Montreal in an all out love fest circa 1967, the band clearly have a love of the past while seeking new and interesting ways of updating it. For the most part Miniature Tigers succeed at this quest, as Fortresslayers psychedelic twists and turns with a bit of an indie pop slant on top of it. The result of this is an album that is the definition of what it means to be melodic. In fact, there are so many syrupy sweet multi-part harmonies that it's hard not say this entire record isn't a long lost Beach Boys record.

Fortress, is decked out in it's Kinksian splendor and swathed in quirky synth pop flourishes that give the band an added modern dimension and brings these troubadours of the past somewhere just south of the twenty-first century. It's quite good stuff that seems like it should be about twenty years out of date, but thankfully the Tigers are so good at stretching a melody together and finding a contemporary slant that the record is in a constant state of bliss. A songlike, "Bullfighter Jacket," is a fantastic example of this as jangly guitars and vocals which almost seem too falsetto for their own good carry the song along like a breeze. It's quite charming stuff that never gets overly worked up or so downtrodden that it becomes dull and boring. For the most part Miniature Tigers are probably the most unobtrusive on the planet....they don't really seam bothered by anything or wish to bother anybody.

Regardless of their quiet and miniature stature, Fortress is a strong effort that sees harmonies, great songs, and a solid retro vibe in no short supply. If you love the Kinks during their Arthur or Village Green eras you'll love this band. While they may not quite have the characters running through their songs that the Kinks did, they certainly have the approach and their sound almost down pat. It's kind of ironic to think that the one thing Of Montreal always wanted to be (the Kinks Mk 2), has been practically usurped by this band. While Of Montreal continue to think their some twisted version of New Romanticism, Miniature Tigers have tapped into their inner mods and written Fortress, which is a summer delight too sweet to pass up.