Crocodiles - Endless Flowers

The Crocodiles’ third full-length album Endless Flowers starts off strong with the title track, followed by the grinding psych-pop song “Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9)”. However, it took several listens for this die-hard indie pop fanatic to really begin to appreciate the noise. Sure, there are smart lyrics, great drum beats, and jangly guitars to get you dancing, but the unpolished, out-of-tune backing vocals on tracks like “My Surfing Lucifer” and “Bubblegum Trash” left me wishing Bilinda Butcher performed on the record. The strange drone on "Hung Up On a Flower" ends with over two minutes of feedback complete with a woman's creepy voice-over, which was an odd and unnecessary addition to the album. The upbeat "Dark Alleys" follows that torture to save the day, and Endless Flowers redeems itself with the track "Welcome Trouble". This album is a good starting point for those curious about shoegaze, psych, and dream-pop, but will leave seasoned fans of those genres running back to the Pale Saints and Ride.

FINAL MARK: C+