Fanfarlo

Chamber-pop rarely proves confrontational, but Fanfarlo’s version goes down easier than most. That’s not to say it’s simplistic or overly saccharine: Rich and carefully layered, the British band’s kitchen-sink aesthetic layers enough details to keep most ears luxuriated (or at least interested). Fanfarlo’s debut album, Reservoir, offers bombastic melodies and windswept harmonies, arranged with enough baroque instrumentation to fill a concert hall. The band just released its new follow-up, Rooms Filled With Light, and preview tracks like “Deconstruction” offer a dichotomous relationship between their abundant flourishes and a newfound percussive underpinning. The resulting sound is decidedly akin to the Talking Heads—a comparison cemented by singer Simon Balthazar’s emotive quaver on “Lens Life.”

Updated 02/22/2012