Album Review: Legs Akimbo — s/t

There is a Rites of Spring earnestness on the freshman release by Legs Akimbo, tempered by Pavement’s style of awkwardness, combining to project an urgency that defies their jangle-pop undercurrent. The record delightfully uses a ’90s throwback sound that unambiguously digs into the big riffs and minimalism of the college radio era. There are elements of Sonic Youth and R.E.M. that are just undeniable, but no less welcome — the songs are nostalgic, but never to the detriment of a good tune. The music is simple in the best possible sense, never overwrought, with everything in its right place.