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I learned something very interesting from the jokey, jokey bio of this duo: that the drummer of prominent garage-blues duo The Black Keys, Patrick Carney, used to play in the indiepop band Churchbuilder. Wow! Carney reunites with another former Churchbuilder, Gabe Fulvimar, and the result is the wacky Pavement-esque duo 10% Animal. These four off-kilter pop songs are constructed from herky-jerky, skittering guitar, echo-drenched vocals, and weird keyboard noises that sound like a haywire arcade game. It's a layered, full-band sound, so these guys would have to recruit if they wanted to take their act on the road. That's a bit of a shame, because I bet these guys would be worth seeing live. There's a goofy, slightly self-indulgent quality to these songs that practically flashes "side project" in neon letters—obviously Carney has ya-yas that he just can't get out as a Black Key, and it does sound like the boys are having fun. If this was a 7-inch that came out in, say, 1994, I might have flipped out over it; as it stands now, I find this release pretty likable, but disposable. (mike.03.06)
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