If you know of Styrofoam (aka Arne Van Petegem) at all, it’s likely
from “Couches in Alleys,” his indelible 2004 collaboration with Death
Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, or perhaps from his remix of the Postal
Service’s “Nothing Better.” Like the Postal Service, Styrofoam is a
solo project that frequently enlists indie-rock vocalists to lend a
human face to twee electronic compositions.
The strategy, of course, has its liabilities: Recognizable voices
may attract listeners, especially those not prone to digging through
Morr Music’s back catalog, but they also threaten to overshadow the man
behind the LCD curtain.
So maybe tapping B-listers for A Thousand Words was
actually a shrewd maneuver on Van Petegem’s part. The biggest name here
is Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World, and he doesn’t exactly bleed
dangerous amounts of charisma or lyrical acuity on the rote ballad “My
Next Mistake.” The duet “Microscope” succeeds despite the belabored
titular metaphor, thanks to the zirconium-perfect voice of the
Submarines’ Blake Hazard and Van Petegem’s rejoindering chorus.
In fact, the best songs are sung by Van Petegem himself. Album
opener “After Sunset” is nearly as kinetic and sweeping as any Postal
Service song, with Van Petegem’s able but not showy voice leading a
busy mix of gently rocking breakbeat, stretchy synth bass, virtual
studio sounds, and cascading guitars. “Other Side of Town” begins as a
carefree joyride (“I stole your bike/and rode/it all along the
riverside”), percolating and flitting before turning into a
bittersweet,
longing chorus. “Bright Red Helmet” starts slow but
erupts into a giddy “ba ba ba da da” chorus surrounded by quick synth
arpeggios, and the burst of momentum keeps the track coasting to its
conclusion.
Styrofoam may not eclipse his most famous friends anytime soon, but
A Thousand Words proves he can at least hold his own against
plenty of other indie darlings.
Styrofoam play Sat June 14, Chop Suey, 9 pm, $10 adv/$12 DOS,
21+. With Broken Spindles, Sensory Effect.
French fries 
hash browns
instant mashed
Pringles
Styrofoam
A Thousand Words(Nettwerk)
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