One would be forgiven for assuming the
Crystal Skulls were some
metal-edged
stoner rock band, but the Seattle quartet's second album is actually a creamy blend of '70-style
soft rock (think
10cc,
Wings,
Al Stewart's
Year of the Cat) and the softer side of the Chicago school of
post-rock as exemplified by the
Aluminum Group and the
Sea and Cake. In other words, these 11 songs are filled with airy melodies and AM radio hooks (note the dead-perfect pedal steel guitar accents on
"Baby Boy"), but they're paired with a deliberately detached, cerebral air. Die-hard
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road fans may well find this album too distant and chilly to fully embrace, but meeting the ironically titled
Outgoing Behavior on its own reserved terms reveals that
singer/songwriter Christian Wargo has a remarkable knack for pure
pop melody. The title track is a particular delight, with vintage synth whirs straight out of the
High Llamas playbook and an instantly appealing tune and
Wargo's winsome, boyish delivery of his playfully skewed, opaque lyrics.
"Treat It Right" is equally fine, recalling
Paul McCartney's frothier moments circa
Venus and Mars right down to the falsetto vocals and
rockabilly-tinged guitar riffs. Overall,
Outgoing Behavior has a sunnier, more easygoing feel than the occasionally dour
Steely Dan-meets-
Tortoise aspects of 2005's
Blocked Numbers suggested, and it suits the
Crystal Skulls quite nicely. Bit of a shame about the band name, though. ~ Stewart Mason
![Southern Rock Opera [20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition 3 CD]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602465783810_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Southern Rock Opera [20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition 3 CD]")
![[Untitled]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0190296883675_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "[Untitled]")
