The third bedroom-recorded opus to emerge from indie-popster Doug Kabourek finds him casting his impulses into a densely layered concept album. His previous work having been made under the moniker of the Laces, Kabourek, now adopting the title of
Fizzle Like a Flood, has moved forward to a more intensely eccentric sound. With the average song incorporating around 40 recorded tracks, listeners should hardly notice that the entire set runs just over 25 minutes in its entirety. Still, the strangely constructed tale of the rise and fall of a racetrack, told from end to beginning, is altogether compelling. That's not to say that the plot overwhelmingly asserts itself in the listening experience; tracks like "Again This Summer" and "Believe in Being Barefoot" -- built mostly on modest acoustic guitar -- are strong love songs regardless of the thematic bent. The majority of the album, however, is comprised of carefully chaotic indie pop tunes with a psychedelic tint. Whether these tendencies present themselves in the multi-tracked vocals and various synth and sound effect bleeps of "Shadows" or the straightforward guitar rock of "A Dance With the Dozer," the effect is consistently aurally engaging. ~ Matt Fink