CD/ALBUM

 

Drummer/multi-instrumentalist Adam Pierce leads this indie band through an array of catchy, song-based tunes and experimental arrangements highlighting a stylized sense of craft and musicianship. On “Pretending,” Pierce opens with some soft left-hand doubles that he moves around the kit, before settling into a rolling toms-and-snare rock figure that overcomes the music. “Contessa” is all odd bars with an “In Your Eyes”–style flow during the chorus, while “Las Gentes Interesantes” features Pierce grooving with snares off, before the track veers into a Latin offbeat ride section complete with a trumpet solo. And dig the end of “Currents,” where the drummer interjects fluid press rolls that wind the song down effectively. Candela might be a classic case of drumming serving the songs, but when the material references a leader’s ever-expanding musical worldview, serving the song can be that much more fun. (Fat Cat)

Ilya Stemkovsky