RECOMMENDED Eric Elbogen has officially jetted off to Seattle—a big country move for the Brooklynite—changed his band name (it’s formerly Say Hi to Your Mom), his vocal delivery and even his songwriting style. Elbogen’s singing from the gut on “The Wishes and the Glitch,” his follow-up to 2006’s fantastic, vampire-themed “Impeccable Blahs,” and his lyrics have become more personal, more autobiographical, less, well, goofy. There’s less whispering. He really wants you to know about this, that, the other. His sound still circles upbeat indie-pop, fused together with subtle electronic elements, but at some moments on the record, he shows frustrating restraint—when you want the songs to explode, they whimper out. (“Oboes Bleat and Triangles Tink” is a prime example—featuring the best melody on the album, the song flatlines after only two choruses, when a cathartic third would’ve made the entire album record. Nitpicky, but still.) Elbogen is a gifted songwriter, and this is a new age for him as a songwriter, with all the inevitable growing pains. But, for the most part, it’s a good hurt. (Tom Lynch) Friday, February 22 at Beat Kitchen
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