O

iTunes Review

One thing has remained constant for Tilly and the Wall: instead of a traditional drum kit playing the percussion role, member Jamie Pressnall tap dances the beat. If this is news to you, don’t run: give a sample listen and then try to resist Tilly’s charm. (It can’t be done.)  On their third full-length release, O, the band sounds more robust, more assured, and simply more rockin.’ While a generally cheery, exuberant vibe drives them (two guys, three gals), O is tempered with occasional doses of vinegar alongside the honey, and it all works beautifully. The stomping hoofwork of Pressnall (along with a whole chorus of foot-stompers) and the reverb-steeped vocals of Neely Jenkins and Kianna Alarid on “Pot Kettle Black” result in a track as full-bodied and driving as anything by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, while the layered atmospherics of “Chandelier Lake” is a clear nod to shoegazers everywhere. Guitarist Derek Pressnall’s lead vocal on “Alligator Skin” is a welcome complement to the sweet strains of Jenkins and Alarid’s harmonizing. Trumpets blare alongside angular guitars on “I Found You” and an uplifting, girl-group-meets-Lush aesthetic saturates the beautiful “Falling Without Knowing.”