Three years ago, Portland band Eyelids released their full-length debut, 854. Now they’re back with Or, produced by Peter Buck of R.E.M., which once again proves them to be studious disciples of the indie-pop art form. But with this sophomore effort, they seem to be imprisoned within the paisley cage they constructed on their first album. While the downer psych-pop they try to emulate can be invigoratingly broody, Eyelids’ expertise in nostalgic melancholia feels like a damp cloth over the star-studded proceedings.
You can’t blame the painstaking attention to detail or the LP’s respectful intentions—both are carried out with the fervor of historical recreationists. The ghostly vibrations of heroes like the Beatles (“(I Will) Leave with You”) and the Kinks (“Ghost Ghost Ghost”) are lovingly exhumed, while creative instrumentation and vintage effects pedals cast spells of phase and tremolo across your imagination. The sparkling rhythms of “Tell Me You Know” pave a golden walkway, along which Chris Slusarenko’s tender tenor glides with ease.