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Elephant 6 might not be the name-droppable force it once was, but its influence continues soldiering on. The Channel, a quintet from Austin TX (I think; their bio is a little unclear) featuring 3 siblings, continues the tradition of 60s-influenced psychedelic pop, with a distinct Beach Boys flavor with layered vocal harmonies and sounds. Like the Apples in Stereo, there's a track where the girl sings. This disc, their second full-length, includes 9 original songs and one Will Oldham cover which closes out the album. They take a kitchen-sink approach to arrangement; you might hear tuba, theremin, and country-style slide guitar in a single track, and there are some obligatory sound effects and field recordings thrown in. I'm a fan of this genre, and this is a fun record, but the jumble of sounds makes it come across as somewhat cluttered and unfocused. (Also, the album title doesn't appear on the disc anywhere.) If they can tighten things up a bit, I'll be interested to hear what comes next from them. (mike.03.05)
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