Miniature Tigers recorded their first album in Phoenix, AZ, a town whose landlocked sprawl forced the musicians to create their own geography.
Tell It to the Volcano conjured up images of tropical islands and communal campfires, using acoustic guitars and casual, breezy melodies to dream up a landscape that looked nothing like the band’s home.
Fortress, the group’s second album, sketches a different picture. What was once casual is now complex; what was formerly indebted to 1960s pop now takes cues from 21st century groups like
Animal Collective and
Of Montreal. For starters, the guys have left the Southwest and relocated to Brooklyn, and they’ve boosted their acoustics with a newfound love for synthesizers and experimental arrangements. They’ve also reached out to bands like
Neon Indian, who produced the leisurely leadoff single “Gold Skull,” and
the Morning Benders, whose frontman, Christopher Chu, produced the rest. The result is a far more eccentric album than the band's debut, with blippy keyboards and amorphous song formats replacing the straightforward pop hooks of
Tell It to the Volcano. ~ Andrew Leahey