And despite Range Anxiety's low standing in our year-end rankings, I do want to be clear that I really enjoy this album. It's just a bit of a victim of its own unassuming slightness.
Like that old Chinese dinner stereotype, pretty much everything on Range Anxiety sounds good going down, there's just not a lot on it that sticks.
But that said, I know there is a subset of indie-pop listeners for whom this album will be pure manna from heaven, so if the Flying Nuns or Luna/Galaxie 500 or The Vaselines or any number of the more relaxed C86/jangle-pop bands over the years are among your personal favs, you'll definitely want to give Range Anxiety a spin.
As for individual track standouts, after a decent, short instrumental, the album kicks off proper with two of its three best songs with the fantastic I Don't Mind, featured in our 2015 mix collection, and the bouncy Back To You. Other highlights include the Real Estate-ish New Moves, the band's lone foray into more post-punkish territory Fern Murders, and the lingering, plaintive closer Empty Road.
Status: Mild Recommend
Cherry Pickers Best Bets: I Don't Mind, Back To You, Fern Murders, Empty Roads
Track Listing:
1. House Keys - 7
2. I Don't Mind - 9
3. Back To You - 8
4. Stranger - 7
5. New Moves - 7
6. White As Snow - 6
7. Shoulders - 6
8. Simple Feelings - 6
9. Adrenaline - 6
10. Fern Murders - 8
11. Cheap Education - 7
12. Love At First Sight - 5
13. Empty Roads - 8
Intangibles - Average
Here's the official video for Back To You, and a live studio performance of my favorite cut from the album, I Don't Mind.
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