The Shilohs

Self-Titled

Light Organ Records

Street: 05.15

The Shilohs = Big Star + Olivia Tremor Control + Mercury Rev

Vancouver’s The Shilohs position themselves adjacent to power pop trail-blazers Big Star and Badfinger, though their sound more closely resembles another band indebted to the Alex Chiltons of the world: Olivia Tremor Control. Like OTC, The Shilohs have a sound so natural and amiable that it borders on cloying. The Mercury Rev-esque third track, “Sisters of Blue,” meanders like a stray dog on an abandoned beach, aimlessly searching for … something. Or maybe nothing. “Stayed in bed all day again,” sighs lead singer Johnny Payne, content to let the day wash over him like high tide. It’s this easygoing attitude that makes The Shilohs so appealing, and also what holds them back. –Taylor Hale