Top tens for 2010: It's a Trap! Contributors

Kaskas
In the meantime
self-released

Once upon a time, Yo La Tengo headed north. As the days became longer and winter gave way into spring, their songs became popper and more optimistic. And still they traveled, finally making their new home in Helsinki and renaming themselves Kaskas. No?

Okay, how 'bout this one? Kaskas is "the little side project that could." An accidental success, their debut full-length "In the meantime" marries slacker rock, charming pop, lounge groves and fuzzy freak-outs together into a surprisingly agreeable sonic stew. A bit too experimental (and clever) for the mainstream, and a bit too classic to be labeled "art rock," the Finnish quartet seems bent on carving out a new niche. And even though it's still a stone's throw from cohesive, they couldn't offer a more enticing first introduction. Vintage organs play with jangly guitar and tussle with raw percussion dotted with electronic beeps. Every song, from the 1970s smoking lounge opener "Night express 84", to the surf-ready melodies of "Fidel", to the bizarre spoken-word elements of "La tete", play like another avenue for potential exploration. While this leaves the listener with little to no idea who these guys might be (Slackers? Music students? Retro worshipers?), it's exciting to wonder what they'll try next. A fight to the indie death with a certain New Jersey trio perhaps?
- Laura Studarus