A Virus with Shoes is yet another pleasing
TLS mini-LP that's perfect for listeners frustrated by the standard 70-minute album marathon. Though it begins with a set of vibes straight out of a
Tortoise LP,
Weatherall and Tenniswood quickly fade into more familiar territory: quirky, left-field downtempo with a high groove quotient, even while they're working in more freeform territory. Some listeners might say this territory is too familiar, that these tracks are interchangeable with those from their debut four years ago. Probably true, but
Two Lone Swordsmen have forged a distinctive style that comes across not as a formula but as a working procedure. Check "Cloned Christ on a Hover Donkey (Be Thankful)," a piece of oddball electronica reminiscent of
Mouse on Mars, or the wave of menacing synth on "Kist." ~ John Bush