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This Portland, OR trio produce a thoroughly engaging, mildly perplexing blend of Americana, folk and indie rock that, on the likes of Center, Empty Circle and The Next One, echoes the two-vocal, repetitive charm of Pinback, at other times triggering hints of Pavement (Love and Logic), Swell (You Started Something), Bright Eyes (Hazardous Movements) or the minimalism of Low (Bound to Unfold). But such reductive comparisons do Tim Perry, Emil Snizek and Joe Kelly a disservice. There's a relaxed authority about these superficially unassuming songs that belies the simple guitar, bass and drums instrumentation. (Drummer Kelly was once a member of labelmates 31 Knots, whose math-rock complexities are a world away from the wide open spaces within which Pseudosix operate.) Void of any trickery, it's unsurprising to see Adam Selzer and his renowned Type Foundry the studio of choice. On the evidence of 'Days of Delay' it was an inspired one, and not simply for its convenient location.
With the mix'n'match wordplay breathing additional life into an already disarming set, eg: "self-inflicted people my conclusion is simple / so long, sorry, so long, sorry, so long," (from Centre, Empty Circle), "Madness you came like a poorly kept secret / won't you promise to knock first in case I'm not decent?" (from Madness) and "under your surveillance I prove my perserverence / everybody's so amazingly calm / I hope to hear that I'm the next one," (from The Next One), further plays promise to provide even richer rewards.

Matt Dornan
CWAS #13 - Autumn 2003

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