Arguments about New York’s “best band” are generally ridiculous, but the release of the Double’s Matador debut certainly has people talking. Anchored by longtime set-list staples ‘Up All Night’ and ‘On Our Way’, Loose in the Air’s tight, noisy first half approximates the cerebral bludgeoning — ever had your eardrums punished by an autoharp? — of their live presence (the only thing better than standing right by the speakers at a Double show is standing right by the speakers at a Double show and seeing an immaculately scruffy hipster leaning on the edge of the stage, lighting a bowl) without losing much in translation. Deeper in, after an almost-but-not-quite-club-ready reworking of last year’s single ‘Hot Air’, the record spirals off into less immediate territory. Its emphasis on texture over a quick pay-off deepens the almost conventional structures of Side A by association; the album actually grows up as you listen to it. So, are the Double the best band in New York? They’ve got my vote
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