"Alone Alive" by Shapes And Sizes
Shapes + Sizes' sophomore album Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner. begins with "Alone/Alive," a song so wild and wonderful—with its clattering percussion, explosions of pretty noise, and whirling dervish vocals—that it raises listener hopes unduly for the album's later, more disjointed songs. Shapes + Sizes celebrate spontaneity and restless energy, and though they pause for the occasional melancholy drone, they quickly return to making a trebly, echoing racket, anchored by a rotation of singers so in-the-moment that they often ignore the lyrics in order to improvise impromptu sound effects. The results are as unpredictable as intended, but also tougher to connect to as the album spins further out of control.
A.V. Club Rating: B-
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