The Details
Two of three members are brothers to Caravels bassist Cory Van Cleef, and Caravels guitarist Dillon Shines co-produced this debut disc, but don’t go thinking the two bands sound alike. From its hypnotic intro into its first round of traded vocals, leadoff track “It’s Not Rock, It’s Science” propels TS&TO on its own trajectory. Where Caravels’ Mike R. shout-sings of the human condition in abstract terms, Soviets Justin Van Cleef and Kellen Owens tinker with the tangible, from “neo-pop, those pseudo-hits” (“sorry pal, but it just ain’t shit”) to a certain bluish orb (“Rescue our landscapes before they sink”). Sure, the Batman Begins clip pasted onto Track 2 feels amateurish, but where else you gonna hear a tune titled “Gnardactyl: Bringer of the Chewbaccalypse”—and dig it?
Previous Discussion: