Quilt’s 'Plaza' a Middling Patchwork of Fine Fabric

For better or worse, “Plaza,” the third and latest offering from Boston-based indie band Quilt, is an album of a particular atmosphere. Layered with ringing guitars, fluttering harmonies, and occasional orchestral flourishes, “Plaza” sees Quilt embracing psychedelic rock, a subtle shift from the somewhat simpler dreamy indie rock of their previous works. This shift is so subtle, in fact, that Quilt break little new ground and stay in their comfort zone. Within those confines, though, Quilt perform well. “Plaza” boasts interesting themes and well-written lyrics, and although not musically fascinating, it has enough melodies and instrumental ideas that it’s a pleasant and sometimes captivating listen.

The best songs on “Plaza” are mid-tempo, mixed major-minor key, heavily rhythm guitar-based, vocal harmony-adorned tunes with interesting, cryptic lyrics. Fortunately, there are plenty of these. Unfortunately, the worst songs on “Plaza” are also mid-tempo, mixed major-minor key, heavily rhythm guitar-based, vocal harmony-adorned tunes with interesting, cryptic lyrics. Variety is just not Quilt’s strong suit, and early in the album in particular, if one isn’t paying close attention, it can be hard to notice where one song begins and another ends. The rich, busy, mid-’60s sound is pretty appealing, but it makes for a long album, even at ten tracks. The album is at its lowest when at its most droning, like on “Searching For,” when Quilt waste the excellent lyrics of the verses on a flat melody.

What differentiates the good songs from the unexciting are flashes of charming inventiveness: For instance, the dancing guitar interplay and compelling lyrical conceit of “O’Connor’s Barn” and the stop-and-start chorus of the closing “Own Ways,” which begins as a generically detached psych-rock breakup song but turns into a surprisingly engaging, high-energy mantra jam. These songs—along with “Something There,” an irresistibly poppy and sentimental gem—are true highlights, but Quilt also display their strengths on several other tracks. Primary vocalist Anna Fox Rochinski renders “Hissing My Plea” instantly memorable by pronouncing the “a” in “plea” with a fabulous drawl. And although it threatens to sink under its own musical complexity, “Eliot St.,” the lead single, features a spookily wordless chorus and lyrics about alienation that stand as the album’s best.

But “Plaza” doesn’t quite have enough of these moments to be great. Too often, Quilt revel too much in their soundscapes, and a few songs, even good ones like “Hissing My Plea” and the opening “Passersby,” wear out their welcome. Perhaps because the tonal diversity is concentrated in the second half of the album with the refreshingly contemplative “Padova” and the coolly grooving “Your Island,” these problems might just stem from poor sequencing—only the aforementioned “Searching For” can reasonably be called a weak track—but for one reason or another, the whole of “Plaza” is less than the sum of its parts.

Quilt begin their tour of “Plaza” on Friday, Feb. 26, at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

—Staff writer Trevor J. Levin can be reached at trevor.levin@thecrimson.com.