Clementine - Crooked Brain

Minneapolis's music scene is stuck in the very best parts of the 90s. It's pretty amazing that the scene keeps churning out bands that are heavily influenced by that decade but still sound modern. The latest is Clementine with their recently released album Crooked Brain. Their sound is reminiscent of bands like Spiritualized and Slint, but a little more poppy. "Blood Diamonds" borrows a lot from Spiderland, with it's spoken/shouted word parts. "Float" might be my favorite, reminding me quite a bit of Pablo Honey and The Bends era Radiohead. Basically, if you went to the 1998 Radiohead/Spiritualized tour, you'll be very happy with this album. "The Leaves Are Changing Brown" is one of the most unexpected and fantastic ballads I've heard in years. With the majority of the album packing a much stronger punch, this track is just nuanced enough to stand out.

Crooked Brain (the name is what seems to be an obvious homage to Pavement's Crooked Rain) is available now on Camaraderie Records. You can listen to it/order it on their Bandcamp. To follow the band, "like" their Facebook or follow them on Twitter.