LVL UP

Hookwink'd (2014)

Alex Ward

LVL UP has possibly the most unappealing band name of all time. No vowels? Check. All caps? Check. Fun, vintage video game reference? Check. Luckily, their LP Hoodwink’d helped clear things up. Kind of.

LVL UP has three vocalists, and their voices are all equally weird and the same level of not-quite-likable. They’re all heavily channeling Stephen Malkmus of Pavement, and one of them, the best singer, tends to curl his words so thoroughly that if I’d ever have the chance to pry open his mouth, I’d half expect to find a large dollop of marmalade resting on his tongue while he sings.

Despite some difficulty with the vocals, the album has some really creative songs and some cool lyrics. Two tracks stand out far above the rest: “I Feel Extra-Natural” and “Medication.” “I Feel Extra-Natural” is a cover of one members' other band, Trace Mountains, and it sounds almost exactly the same. The lyrics frequently cite the Silver Jews, who just so happens to feature members of Pavement: “‘I feel insane when you get in my bed’ / Was something sweet that the Silver Jews said.” It’s sort of a lame line, and it’s mostly a cop-out, but the repeating chorus (“I keep trying to / Keep, keep trying to / Keep trying to lose”) and its interesting structure makes up for it. “Medication”’s got the best line of the album: “No one knows if you’re in control of what you’re saying / Or is it your medication?” Sometimes you really can’t tell.

Some of these songs are really short and could be most accurately described as the exact opposite of great. I understand the laid-back vibe and everything, but hopefully next time LVL UP will just pare it down to the best ten tracks out of fifteen instead of just recording whatever song they come up with. There are definitely some bad lyrics (“My friend Ryan offered good advice / So I took a slice and sailed through to mellow skies”) and plenty of other assorted rough patches. Five of the fifteen tracks on the album feature Elaiza Santos, and she really helps to balance out these wet-lipped fellas’ occasionally too-cute vocals. She should just join the band.

LVL UP describe themselves as “lo-fi indie pop,” and I guess I’d agree. The album has a real Pavement/JEFF The Brotherhood/early Weezer sound, but it’s more half-baked than any of those bands releases (sans Weezer; sorry Hurley). I have a feeling this band just has one weak songwriter, as two-thirds, maybe three-fourths, of this album is excellent, and they probably have three or four band members. Whatever LVL UP’s Hoodwink’d is, I’ve listened to it a ton this past week.