Album Details

• Artist: Say Hi
• Album: Oohs And Aahs
• Label: Barsuk
• Year of Release: 2009
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: MusicCritic on 2009-03-16

The most remarkable thing about Oohs & Aahs, the latest album from Say Hi, is how thoroughly unremarkable it is. Throughout the album's 10 songs Say Hi main man Eric Elbogen offers up little slabs of lo-fi bedroom indie rock that are consistently pleasant and just as consistently forgettable.

Befitting an album that can't pull off noteworthy, Oohs & Aahs is equally lacking in any obvious flaws or praiseworthy strengths. ‘Elouise' starts things off on a relatively strong foot, propelled by a buoyant bass line and some manic cymbal splashes. ‘Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh' follows awhile later with a playful horn sample that sets it apart from its surroundings. ‘Maureen' starts and stops, building a nice synth melody before Elbogen botches the momentum by singing "Maureen / I can't come to your party ‘cause I think that I'm dead" in his mumbling, somewhat flat voice.

The rest of the album might as well not even be there for all the impression it makes. Elbogen clearly has some skill as a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, but the vast majority of Oohs & Aahs is too non-descript, too middle of the road, too easy to shun to the background, too easy to forget it's playing. The album is far from terrible and it's hard to imagine anyone hating it, but then again, it's hard to imagine anyone having much of an opinion about it at all.

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Garth Paulson

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