Album Details

• Artist: Pterodactyl
• Album: Spills Out
• Label: Jagjaguwar
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2011-11-09

Let's get the fan stuff out of the way first: Spills Out," the third record by Brooklyn's Pterodactyl, is so full of genius it is hard not to gush. These songs seem disoriented and barely strung together, but deeper listens reveal a melodic and groove sense that is truly unique. This is a band to trust, and this is a record to savor.

Effortlessly switching up between pop and abstract rock Pterodactyl keep you guessing, and constantly surprised. "Hold Still" is one of the best songs of the year, a rambling wreck of melody, jagged guitars and soaring vocals; it is a song that threatens to fall apart at any moment, but hangs on and keeps climbing higher. The majestic "Nerds "follows, with the same brittle ambience that is both moving and challenging.

The murky but epic "Thorn" channels Syd Barrett, its memorable melody cut-up and shaken, but it holds. "The Break" is a fairly convention but nevertheless shimmering power pop tune, and it seems almost subversive in context. "White Water" echoes another outsider drug casualty, Skip Spence, complete with downer vibe and off-kilter drumming. With its jungle beat, smudged guitars and wall of gritty sound, "Aphasia" ends things on a disconcerting but still glorious note.

Pterodactyl raise the bar not only for themselves but for their peers as well on "Spills Out." Their take on pop and rock is disjointed but organic, powerful and teasingly ragged. Track it down, and wear it out.

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