XNY – Orange

Orange You Glad?

Pam Autuori and Jacob Schreiber are definitely a unique duo. Performing as the Brooklyn-based XNY, the two play pitch-perfect, infectious folk pop. Heartfelt and sincere, they’ve taken what’s usually twee-ified or has been sparkled up and thrown into car commercials and made it their own. So, how does Orange hold up against all the “heys” and “hos” shouted by certain magnetic something or others?

“Jaw” kicks off the album, with Autuori blasting through the track, snarling and wailing over Schreiber’s drum stylings. You’d think he’d go for the usual “spooky” kick and snare combo, but Schreiber has chops; serious chops. “Burn Out” is a strummy Tegan & Sara-esque relationship song. Autuori even gives a couple nods to Justin Vernon, singing, “I told you to be patient,” early on in the track. “Rabbit” is the duo’s sexy Creedence track. Or is it the Eagles? Either way, The Dude might like it after a couple Caucasians. “Rabbit” is jazzy enough to show off Schreiber’s drum techniques, while letting Autuori shake any “girly girl” assumptions left. It’s clear that Autuori’s out for blood.

“Yours Only” sports an electric guitar and may possibly be the group’s fight song. The most aggressive track on the album, “Yours Only” isn’t exactly “punk rawk,” but it should get XNY’s fans moving. It’s easy to stay in that “sing-a-long” groove for the entirety of a folk-pop album, but showing diversity takes guts if it’s not really an artists forte. XNY doesn’t get it “right,” but they don’t exactly miss the target. This band is only unique in the fact that they seem to be the only band from Brooklyn (okay, maybe they can be likened to Matt & Kim) producing semi-radio-friendly pop (and pulling it off tastefully). Usually the punks, weirdos and internet favs come spewing out of the East Coast but none of this takes away from how enjoyable Orange really is.