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This is one of those happy occasions where I listen to something with zero expectations and come away feeling like I've discovered something special. Winter Vacation is a talented fellow named David Yourdon (also a member of The Pathways) who writes and records jangly lo-fi indiepop with a jazzy bent; the best comparison I can think of is Preston School of Industry with a dash of early Sea and Cake and Elephant 6. The rhythms are sprightly and the melodies are catchy, and Yourdon has a healthy disregard for standard verse-chorus-verse structure, which takes this material beyond your standard pop fare. There is also some really nice chiming, jangling dual guitar interplay that works so well you'd swear it was two people playing together rather than one multitracked guy. This is much more sophisticated songcraft than you'd expect from a CD-R of home-recorded 4-trackery, and I'm really impressed with it. The only complaint I have with this otherwise fantastic disc is that the tinny sound of these recordings doesn't do justice to the songs at all; lo-fi charm has its place, but these songs would be much better served by some better production values. Somebody get this guy some better recording equipment quick. (mike.03.05)
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