Anya Marina can coo and growl with the best of them, but behind the sultry, neo-new wave/'90s alt-rock swagger that serves as the foundation for her third studio outing, there's a transplanted Midwesterner who would just as soon knock back beers with friends on the porch than hold court in the neon nether regions of a Hollywood discotheque.
Felony Flats sure does serve up a steady diet of West Coast style, but for every electro-dirge like "Body Knows Best" and "Believe Me I Believe," there's a calculated blast of summery, nostalgic indie pop ("Notice Me," "Speakeasy") to let some light in. It may sound jarring, but it's really not, as
Marina's sly lyrics and high, teasing purr, the latter of which straddles the middle ground between
Liz Phair,
Alison Goldfrapp, and
Jill Sobule, imbue each track with the kind of confidence that can only come from a girl weaned on "
Rubber Soul, Paul's Boutique,
Check Your Head, and
Public Enemy." ~ James Christopher Monger