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For those already familiar with the Orchid Pool\'s brand of innovative acoustic pop, it probably came as little surprise when the band uprooted from their rural Western Pennsylvania home to relocate to the musical hotbed of Athens, Georgia. With close ties to certain pillars in the Elephant 6 community, such a pilgrimage seems the next logical step for a band whose musical loyalties generally seem to lie somewhere between the polished pop majesty of the Apples in Stereo and the whimsical psychedelic innocence of Of Montreal.
As with their previous recordings, the Orchid Pool again come to the table with a treasure trove of instruments/household items in tow, with the duo of Tony and Kimberly Paglia incorporating a cast of 30 instruments into their richly orchestrated pop shadings.
As their complexity never gives way to clutter, the feel of carefully conducted chaos gives shape to the adventurous aesthetic at work. Though never as overtly obscure or downright weird as the Elephant 6ers, they also manage to avoid the saccharine clichés that have come to define modern experimental pop. To that end, pristine melodies and innocent obsessions rule the day, from the harmony laden \"In the Sun\" to the jaunty piano boogie of the title track. Founded largely on acoustic guitar, the arrangements are overlaid with a variety of cellos, trumpets, flutes, and accordions for rather over-the-top pop grandeur. Not to be pigeonholed, though, Tony Paglia can sound somewhat Elliott Smith-ish in his more pensive moments, with his hushed phrasing and literate singer-songwriter bent adding another angle to their multi-faceted pop attack. Still, most moods evoked are altogether good-natured, with eclecticism and escapism remaining the primary charm of their trade.
In the end, Chutes and Ladders is more than a unique addition to the Athens pop canon.
MATT FINK
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