Major Arcana is a markedly assured debut, one that makes Speedy Ortiz an act to watch. Like its songs, the band’s detonation is inevitable.
One of the reasons ‘Major Arcana’ works so well is because it’s addictive and fun, which could explain how these characters got into such a mess in the first place.
They’ve got reverence for their forebears, sure, but unlike a lot of recent bands exhuming the ghosts of indie rock past, Speedy Ortiz also have faith in the peculiar personality traits that set them apart from their heroes.
Speedy Ortiz’s ingenuity relates not to innovation but something altogether more sacred to this genre, namely the expression of knotty emotions in alluring, specific-seeming terms.
Think of this as the espresso method: a strong, punchy musical concentrate.
You sense that Speedy Ortiz rather wish they’d been around 20 years ago to occupy a niche amongst the multitudinal luminaries of indie-rock’s golden age, and on the basis of this debut record, they’d certainly have earned it.
The daring, experimental mystique and whip-smart pop melodies ultimately make Major Arcana grow infectious with repeated listens.
Major Arcana is certainly not a perfect debut and does have some flaws, but it succeeds in establishing Speedy Ortiz as a band with promise and scope to build on.
Fun little noise pop/grunge album that sounds more like something from '90s than from 2013. It's really decent through the whole thing but my biggest complaint is the fact that most of the songs sound so similar to each other. No Below is the only real highlight from here because it's an amazing track (which I love even more for its inclusion in LiS: Before the Storm OST) that stands out on its own.
Very faithful to the sounds of 90’s indie rock acts such as Pavement, but compared to their sound feeling somewhat light and carefree, this album by comparison feels angrier and edgier, which isn’t a bad thing, as it has a uniquely aggressive charm to it. There’s a pretty thick sheet of grime plastered across this album, and it’s infectious as hell with it.
Standout: Tiger Tank
Favs: Fun, Gary, Plough, MKVI, Pioneer Spine
Least fav: Casper (1995)
+ Very catchy
+ Enjoyable typic 90's grunge influence with distilated other influences (Nirvana, Pavement, a little Hole ...) ...
- But I think it really lacks some aggressive moments to be totally successful.
Fun little noise pop/grunge album that sounds more like something from '90s than from 2013. It's really decent through the whole thing but my biggest complaint is the fact that most of the songs sound so similar to each other. No Below is the only real highlight from here because it's an amazing track (which I love even more for its inclusion in LiS: Before the Storm OST) that stands out on its own.
1 | Pioneer Spine 3:37 | 75 |
2 | Tiger Tank 2:46 | 90 |
3 | Hitch 2:35 | 75 |
4 | Casper (1995) 2:48 | 78 |
5 | No Below 3:44 | 95 |
6 | Gary 3:26 | 65 |
7 | Fun 2:05 | 70 |
8 | Cash Cab 3:35 | 70 |
9 | Plough 2:53 | 65 |
10 | MKVI 7:08 | 88 |
#16 | / | A.V. Club |
#27 | / | Consequence of Sound |
#28 | / | Pretty Much Amazing |
#31 | / | Stereogum |
#44 | / | NME |
#45 | / | PopMatters |
#48 | / | Pitchfork |
#49 | / | Paste |
#70 | / | eMusic |
#93 | / | Under the Radar |