Invisible Mustache

The Godfather, Star Wars, and Gremlins all managed to be different the second time around. Bravely, something new and fresh was infused even though the easy way out was to repeat the formula from the first one. In the music world, bands are routinely chastised for their second efforts. Beware if your follow-up sounds too much like the first record. Yet don’t stray too far from what worked. It’s the tightest of tight ropes. A tightness that is rivaled only by the abs of Central New York’s indie rock golden boys: Invisible Mustache.

November 2010 marked the release of Invisible Mustache’s second album you cool girl. As the IM faithful know, these guys are recording artists, not performers. So it should be no surprise that they spent over two years crafting their sumptuously produced sophomore album. The cohesion from song to song is first-class. Songs like “You Can Always Stay” and “Stand Still” are mature fully realized offerings. Even a silly title like “When I Sneeze” belies the fact that the work is confessional and beaming with honesty. Keeping in step with their first album, IM waltzes from romance to their penchant for sci-fi folk. Album 2 has a charming duet about the sun burning out, and another about how gravitational pulls can really cramp your style. The last two tracks melt into one another recalling shades of side two on Abbey Road. I would be disgusted by the bravado and self-indulgence if I weren’t so busy singing along.

-Elmore Blatch