Spin It: Oh Condor, Reflector Ep

Although Oh Condor's musical roots can be traced to '90s indie rock, their production is a little too slick for lo-fi, too ambitious for slacker rock and too fun for shoegazing. The quartet's Reflector Ep, which hit the streets via Gas Daddy Go today (February 28) showcases a scrappy and ambitious Dayton, Ohio-based quartet capable of and committed to chasing down moments of pop and rock brilliance and setting them to tape. And though the EP is short, any of the cuts in this collection of indie rock songs is capable of holding their own with Arches of Loaf's "Wrong," Pavement's "Cut Your Hair" and Superchunk's "Hello Hawk." None of this is tremendously surprising considering the strength of the band's formidable back catalog of self-released albums and EPs. From the squealing synth intro of "Shoot First" the band jettisons out of the gates at a breakneck clip. Brainiac fans will crack a smile at the baritone vocal gobbling that recalls "Sexual Frustration," and modern rock fans will pause at the Franz Ferdinand-like temp change. The muscular guitar lines on "Windsor Knot Ontario" are among some of the finest Oh Condor has ever conjured, and the dual vocal delivery is scrappy and endearing. Capture this EP before the limited-edition release is extinct.
Dayton City Paper: Tim Anderl (02/27/2012)