Count the Days

Count the Days’ opening track, “Winter 04,” is instructively titled — by fusing skittering Postal Service synth-pop with Rilo Kiley’s sleepy country overtones, Cincinnati’s Seedy Seeds have crafted an album seemingly borne out of Pitchfork’s fever dreams, circa the early-to-mid ’00s. It’s also worth noting that the duo never deviate from the sonic template laid out in that first song — they’re content to let Count the Days ride the same combination of synths, banjo and whimsical vocals for 12 mostly indistinguishable songs. Best is the closing “I’m Asleep in All My Dreams” — there’s more than a little Elliott Smith echoing through its expansive melody, and its comparatively dramatic minor-key urgency helps it to avoid the oppressive cutesiness that plagues the rest of the album. If you pine for the preciousness of mid-decade OC-approved indie, Count The Days is for you.