Sonny and Cher of indie pop a little too innocent
Brooklyn’s Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel seem like nice kids—with “kids” being the operative word. Their previous EP included three crayons, and they’ve been known to line the stage with stuffed animals. On their debut album, they’re clearly in love, as they spend 45 minutes cooing sweet nothings to one another. She plays the Jack White-minimalist guitarist role, he plays the Meg White-minimalist drummer role, but neither has a smidgen of the edge or energy The White Stripes bring to the proceedings. Only opener “Oh No,” with its “I think I love you / I think I’ll wreck you” dialectic, and “Season Song,” with its Andrew Bird whistle, register beyond vapid Hallmark-card sentiments. Kaiser and Cartel just might be the Sonny and Cher of the indie-pop world.
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