Tom Lynch

Unpredictable to say the least, Ohio's Skeletons and the Girl-Faced Boys lure and challenge fans of dance, pop and lo-fi rock at the same time, an unbelievable feat of ambition. Matt Mehlan's one-man project expanded into a full band last year to impressive results with "Git" (Ghostly International). Mehlan's avant-pop sounds like the hip party record heard in a movie that everyone runs out and buys as soon as the screen goes black. Fusing electronics with soul, funk, straight-up rock and eerie tones, Skeletons and the Girl-Faced Boys move and shake into original territory without spilling into the ultra-hipster IDM bowl that's running rampant across the nation. Keyboards galore, "Git" stands on its own as an idiosyncratic collection of ballads and harmonies, and in its own way exceeds Mehlan's previous record, "Life and the Afterbirth," if only for its innovation. Perhaps the best things about the record, the moments that stand the tallest, are when Mehlan pushes forward, unafraid to use elaborate noise instead of melody to drive the songs. It shows confidence and that pure noise can be beautiful if done right, and his voice, a swell blend of confidence and poetics, works wonders.

Skeletons & the Girl-Faced Boys plays March 22 at Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western, (773)276-3600, at 9:30pm. $8. (2006-03-14)

Also by Tom Lynch

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It has been ten years since Stuart Murdoch and Stuart David formed Belle and Sebastian in a café in Glasgow, Scotland
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Tip of the Week
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Soundcheck
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Tip of the Week
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Tip of the Week
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Pucker Up
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