It's appropriate that
Lifter Puller started in Boston and moved to Minneapolis, because their smirky and clattering take on post-
Pavement indie rock channels both Boston art rock punks like
Human Sexual Response, and the angular, danceable new wave of Minneapolis' late great
Suburbs. Like the
Humans'
Larry Bangor and the
Suburbs' Beej Chaney, singer
Craig Finn has a unique and, on occasion, profoundly irritating voice. However, he's lost some of the obnoxious lounge lizard tendencies that made
Lifter Puller's early singles so irritating, and the fuller arrangements and more fractured song structures -- two-thirds of these songs are well under three minutes -- keep even his most mannered vocals in the background. On songs like the organ-driven rocker "Space Humping $19.99," the overall effect is most agreeable to indie fans with fond memories of the pre-MTV '80s new wave scene, but those who previously considered
Finn's vocals a deal-breaker will likely consider
Fiestas + Fiascos only a minor improvement.