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Album reviews Music

Avi Buffalo

Rating: NNN


No matter what Natalie Portman might say, the Shins were never an earth-shattering band, though they did help usher in an unironic reverence for 60s and 70s folk pop and unabashedly wistful hooks. It’s a model that young Sub Pop descendants Avi Buffalo go for on their debut LP. Like the elder statesmen, the teenage California quartet offer skewed good-time indie pop that won’t change your life but will sound fantastic blasted from a front porch on a summer day.

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At times strummy, at times jangly, Avi Buffalo’s debut wears its influences on its sleeve but is constructed with such strong, melodic songwriting that you barely notice. It peaks early with the excellent one-two punch of Truth Sets In and What’s In It For?, though there aren’t any real duds. Summer Cum, for instance, could work on classic rock radio if not for its horny adolescent lyrics.

Top track: What’s In It For?

Avi Buffalo play the Great Hall June 18, 9 pm, and Lee’s Palace June 19, midnight, as part of NXNE.

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