Youth Lagoon
Savage Hills Ballroom
Trevor Powers’ squeaky voice has always been comfortable in intimate and lo-fi settings. So, it can be a bit jarring to hear it compete with the slick, amped-up instrumentals on Savage Hills Ballrooms. “Highway Patrol Stun Gun” and “Doll’s Estate” sound like bland new-wave tracks, too streamlined to fit into the Youth Lagoon project. “Again” would just as quickly fall into the same trap, but its dramatic Americana interludes are a powerful and exciting twist. The best track here, though, is “X-Ray”. It’s a beautiful folktronica track – both plaintive and evocative.
