i hate the sound of guitars

Indie-rock trio Eisenhower Field Day dish up textbook-perfect indie rock on this LP (a 2003 EP is appended to the current release). Guitarist/lead vocalist Noah Butler has a slightly yelpy tenor to which bassist Holly Butler’s harmonies provide welcome sweetening. They play with conviction and the songs are are full of interesting dynamic and textural shifts. The album is self-recorded and it shows a bit; the instruments don’t always sound like they’re part of the same sonic space — the bass sounds like it was probably recorded direct, and the drums seem a bit remote. But several of the songs are good enough that I can happily overlook the limitations of the recording. Let’s Not Tell Lies doesn’t break much new ground, but the more I listen to this, the more I like it, especially “National Sunday Law,” and “The Backs of My Arms.”