"The ACB's" Little Leaves

March 05. 2013 | By Nick Schneider

little leaves

Much like The StrokesIs This It?, The ACB’s sophomore album starts off with a misdirection: a slow, weary intro backed only by an acoustic guitar and hollow vocals. This stripped down musical approach certainly does not set the tone for the rest of Little Leaves, an LP bristling with tempo-pushing drumbeats, bright keyboards, and sharp, driving guitar work. Melancholy lyrical overtones, however, do resound throughout, especially on tracks like “Plants” where the singer laments how, “this world wasn’t made for me.”

Despite punchy, lean songs rarely exceeding the 2:30 minute mark, the album is heavy with the bittersweet longing of Let It Be-era Replacements, a comparison most evident on the painful ballad “Underweight.” Have no fear, though, as the explosive melodies will keep you humming along all the way. “Record Store” is so energetic- a tune made for cranking to maximum volume as you roll down the freeway way above the speed limit — there’s just no way you can possibly resist.

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