Achille Lauro, “Unrivaled In Class”
Terrible John Botts
Usually, combining the phrases “pop” and “progressive music” in the same sentence has a way of making neurons sputter and cough as they struggle to make sense of such an impossible oxymoron. Not so much when Achille Lauro smashes the ideas together, though. The Denver foursome drops its new Indiscretions on vinyl April 4, and this preview track of “Unrivaled In Class” lightly sprinkles sparkly electronics over a kooky guitar hook and playful vocal layering. It’s the sort of thing that’ll get your toe tapping and your mind racing as Achille Lauro somehow makes a truce, albeit a shaky, fragile one, between proggy experimentation and pop accessibility.
