AMG Review of Maudlin

Andrew Leahey
All Music Guide

After crisscrossing the musical map on 2007's Brought to You by Nebraska Fish, Capgun Coup refashions itself as a messy, cacophonous pop band with Maudlin. This sophomore effort bears the influence of 21st century indie rock -- the off-kilter vocals, messy drums, and slapdash swagger are all as hip-sounding as they are untrained -- but Maudlin takes more of its cues from vintage genres, resulting in a number of songs that pair a lo-fi approach with traces of surf rock, '50s pop, lounge, and garage psychedelia. The strongest songs here (the Dylan-influenced "Got a Lot of Gull," "Pretty City," the instrumental workout "Fishlip") show a band that has grown exponentially since 2007, when Capgun Coup's PR material would flaunt the fact that these Omaha residents could barely play their own instruments. There's still a shoddiness to this set, a sense that what you play isn't as important as how you play it, but Capgun Coup has nevertheless become a fully competent band, and Maudlin's messiness sounds far more endearing than clumsy.