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It’s nothing you haven’t heard before, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hear it. Melodic, atmospheric and decidedly unhip, Kite Operations mines the land previously trod by countless shoegazers before it and extracts a shimmering, eardrum-shattering ore of blissful indie pop. Opening with “A Wonder” — a (mostly) straightahead indie rocker — Dandelion Day quickly veers into Elliott Smith territory with “Effervescence.” Meanwhile, the dense “Head of Steam” is a fuzzed-out feedback fest, while there’s almost a folky simplicity to a song like “Traffic Lights,” and “Senses Are Next” pays unsubtle homage to Hüsker Dü. Fans of the Pixies, Medicine or EVOL-era Sonic Youth will feel right at home in the land of Kite Operations. With blushing bravado, this New York City quartet produces sweet, gloomy noise pop that puts memorable melodies ahead of novelty, resulting in a remarkably sincere, beguiling debut.
