In A Lackadaisical Way

UUVVWWZ “Castle”

Teal Gardner sings most of UUVVWWZ’s debut album in an appealing, if not wholly unique, quirky rock girl style, but on “Castle,” she is a total revelation. As the music floats between moments of dreaminess, turbulence, and catharsis, her performance is similarly mercurial. For the most part, her emoting matches the sound of the band, but her inflections and cadences can be very surprising, so bits that would signify a particular emotion under typical circumstances end up getting twisted somewhat. Sometimes it’s more intense, and at others, dialed down and understated in a way that is slightly at odds with dynamics in the song. This is one of my favorite things: A song that sounds like being inside a person’s moment at a specific moment. I barely even understand what she’s talking about, but I’m riveted.

Buy it from Amazon.