Maybe Smith — Another Murder In The Morning

Saskatoon noisemaker Maybe Smith's fifth full-length is a slow burner. The follow-up to 2007's Animals & Architects is filled with frantic indie pop, layered with chaotic electronic sounds, static and fuzz that take a while to decipher.

Smith (a.k.a. Colin Skrapek) admitted in the album's press release to ripping off everyone from Gary Lewis to Animal Collective, The Flaming Lips, My Bloody Valentine, M83 and New Order. The Animal Collective production-like qualities are the most obvious comparisons from the get-go. But while Animal Collective know when to scale back, Another Murder In The Morning is sometimes overwrought with bleeps, bloops and other background noises that make some tracks too busy.

There are trademark Maybe Smith moments like the deliciously happy and bouncy "Treehouse Enthusiasts" and "You Would Never Survive The Winters In This Province," and the fuzzed-out guitars of "Crimes And Diplomacy" and "I Suck At Photosynthesis."

Then there are some parts that just don't fit, like the awkward and slow "Night And Day," the title track and the weird dance beat at the end of "A Walrus With A Gunswordaxe Vs. The Big Bang Machine."

There's also a bevy of guest vocalists, including Winnipeg singer/songwriter Christine Fellows (most notably on "Bloopers") and members of Carbon Dating Service.

It's an interesting listen, but not one as instantly striking as his last effort.