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Respond Respond

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Exit Clov

Respond Respond

(Livewire)

When bands go into a professional recording studio to re-do home recordings, the end results are often watered-down, washed-out versions of songs. But the Washington, D.C.-based indie pop rock quintet Exit Clov has improved its on three of its older songs by re-recording them for its six-song Livewire Recordings debut mini-CD, "Respond Respond." As such, it's a sort of semi-greatest hits collection with new and improved sonics.

Thanks to producer Colin Cobb, the band sounds beefier and more cohesive that on its three previous efforts. Aaron Leeder's guitar growls and buzzes with authority and John Thayer's drums crackle with a new presence. And the keyboards and violins by identical twin lead singers Emily and Susan Hsu have never sounded more beguiling.

Yes, you read that right. The band is led by a pair of twin sisters and their sweet, unaffected voices are a large part of Exit Clov's appeal. The idea of dual female lead vocals is nothing new (think Teagan and Sara). But there's something heavenly about like like-voiced siblings that harmonize (think The Beach Boys), and the Hsu sisters' voices have grown into absolutely blissful instruments on "Respond Respond."

If you listen to "Respond Respond" for its sound, you'll be rewarded with gorgeous melodies, rich harmonies, fizzy electronics and danceable rhythms. Listen to the lyrics, though and you'' notice there's not one mundane, linear love song in the lot. Instead, Exit Clov's songs are filled with cerebral ideas and wry commentary. It's as if the band naturally defaults to avoiding cliché.

The haunting "Moving Gaza" looks at how people use music as a mental escape while dealing with issues like Middle Eastern strife. "DIY" is a forceful dance rock number that waxes sarcastic about the cliquishness of the region's music scene. And "MK Ultra?" Well, that's a first-person retelling of the strange story of Candy Jones, a model who was allegedly brainwashed by the U.S. government. Why, of course!

Other songs are more impressionist in their subject matter and reading the lyric sheet (printed on the CD's inside jacket) doesn't make them easier to decipher.

But no matter. The beauty of Exit Clov's approach is that you don't need to know - or care - about their lyrical topics to enjoy their music. Unlike many politically-oriented acts, they don't beat you over the head with messages. Plus, they trade in cleverness, not platitudes and use plays on words like "quit your Stalin" and "brainwashington," to make their points. (And why hasn't someone thought to popularize that last phrase before?)

"Respond Respond" achieves the difficult trick of being both smart and fun. It shows why this band has attracted such a fervent following since it got its start in 2003. - Tony Sclafani

Originally published in the Dec. 2006 issue of Music Monthly..

Wow, I really dig it. It's like a fabulous mix of some electronica with something like The Roches or The Ditty Bops!