In the career-defining profile of Annuals that appeared in the 2007 music issue of Oxford American, the North Carolina band came off as the mid-2000s equivalent of the slacker: the easygoing multi-tasker. Their 2006 debut, Be He Me, a timely mix of Animal Collective before they went electronic and Arcade Fire before they went morose, had them positioned to be an ideal test case for the starmaking ability of blogs. But bandleader Adam Baker and crew seemed just as excited and invested in their various electro side projects as they were in their meal ticket. It was hard not to jump to conclusions about focus when 2008's major-label Such Fun showed no interest whatsoever in upping the ante. Its title seemed like a weirdly deadpan admission of defeat.
So is the self-produced Sweet Sister EP just Annuals taking a hands-on approach out of necessity? In any case, they've cemented themselves as a rootsier Yeasayer, still endlessly curious about studio gadgetry and electronic composition but doing little to hide serious hopes of a H.O.R.D.E. tour revival. Just try to keep a running tally of every sonic doo-dad that pops up during the driving, Latin-tinged rhythm of "Loxstep"-- is that a tabla hooked up to a wah-wah pedal or a jaw harp? Did they just put some Swizz Beatz turntable-scratch effect on Baker's voice? Check out all those bells and whirring synth lines! Their previous work was hardly minimalist, but their arrangements have become increasingly ostentatious in display of new toys. On the title track, bongos percolate and crystal-clear guitar peals evoke Mediterranean nylons, suggesting the word "Balearic" has been used on the Annuals tour bus. And then "Holler and Howl" does a Texas two-step immediately after, and it's hardly a harsh transition.
I still haven't mentioned the melodies or lyrics yet, which underscores what made Such Fun such a worrying listen. The band's debut stood out more for its youthful exuberance-- embarrassingly/memorably portrayed as "magic coming out my ass"-- than any of its songwriting substance. And youthful exuberance isn't exactly a renewable resource. Baker has all but abandoned Be He Me's unhinged yelping, favoring a more plaintive EveryIndieDude tone that suits the dusky atmosphere of "Turncloaking" but doesn't offer much that sticks. Likewise, the lyrics rarely stand out except for the occasional hippy-dippy homily: "I can't get high, but I can get lost," "Love is what keeps you kind," things like that.
It shouldn't be a surprise that "Flesh & Blood", a song not written by Annuals, is by a wide margin the most memorable song here. The light countrypolitan glaze laid on the Johnny Cash song indicates that Annuals take neither themselves nor their source material too seriously. But the lyrics' yearning for something tangible and substantial ultimately feels at odds with what Sweet Sister, promising surface and all, actually brings to the table.
