On
Demos, L.A.'s
the Peak Show flits freely between sultry trip-hop and sunny, beat-flavored Cali alt pop. Holland Greco proves just as fluid. The singer slips into a deliberate, sloe-eyed lull for the highly processed nocturnal shuffle of "Flow," but is the embodiment of every earthy college town chanteuse in the beguiling organic/electronic hodgepodge "Straight Lines." But as easily as that song channels the good-time grooves of
Shuggie Otis, "Lettenem Know" beats out some awkward electronic funk as Greco channels the dusky vocals of
Tricky muse Martine. This much ambitious cutting and pasting would be difficult for most anyone; that
the Peak Show makes it work a good 85 percent of the time -- on their demos, no less -- is quite promising. ~ Johnny Loftus