Album Review: Tallies by Tallies

From the very first bars, the Tallies' self-titled debut album opens the young Canadian quartet to the slings and arrows of being written off as copycats; derivative at best, sonic bandits at worst. They sound so much like a note-perfect cross between the Sundays, Lush, the Smiths, the Ocean Blue, and other bands of that era that paired smeary guitar jangle with passionate reverb-drowned vocals that it's hard to believe the band isn't the offspring of those bands. Every note feels lifted directly from the past, every beat hits like nostalgia, and every word Sarah Cogan sings comes across like a voice beamed in on a distant college radio wave.

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Let's face it, nostalgia is a safe bet.   Reproducing sounds from the past tickles our memories, but somewhere in the past few years, nostalgia became more of a marketing tool than an artistic one. Popular music across the board has recently been subject to a gauntlet of painful covers and retro-phile rip-offs. The result has been an abundance of forgettable genre revivals, tiny-toque wearers hung up on Morrissey, and an overkill of guitar effects on hilariously large pedal boards. (You're to blame for that one, Mr. Shields.) Thankfully ….

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There's never a bad time to throw some jaunty jangle pop on the stereo. Roadtrip, pre-drinks, existential crisis; those shimmering chords and well-worn effect pedals can't help but transport us to a happier place. The latest outfit to get those ears ringing is Toronto quartet Tallies, their debut effort landing in time to get rid of those winter blues.

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