The Mary Timony Band: The Shapes We Make : B+

Mary Timony is primarily known for her work with the bands Helium, Autoclave and Hot Trix, and she is now fronting The Mary Timony Band, which will be playing at Uncle Fester's on June 9. But before you step out and check out Timony's alt-pop chops this weekend, you might want to have an idea of what to expect.\nPortions of The Shapes we Make sound like what would happen if Sonic Youth and Pavement met on the playground and decided to go home and braid each other's hair. In terms of instrumentals, the album pays homage to the distant accompaniments of Sonic Youth, but it is reminiscent of Pavement because Timony's sometimes distracted tones sit atop mounds of fuzz and patchy accompaniment. Many songs seem as though they're not quite frenzied, but certainly distressed. In some cases, the songs kick off with raucous beginnings and conclude with timid endings.\nYou'll mostly find the standard vocals, guitar, bass and drums persistent, while the background sounds more restrained, but the occasional keyboard accompaniments provide enough spice to make the whole stew really sizzle. The album, much like many of the songs on it, seems to have more of a bang at the beginning and slows down as it progresses. This is perfectly acceptable, though, since songs like "Each Day" and "Window" allow some time for the album to cool off while churning out more infectious melodies.\nMy only qualm is that a few songs like "Pause/Off" can feel flat because of the preoccupied vocal tone. It has a nice repetitive riff, splashy cymbals, a pumping organ and an undeniable raggedness that crunches along, but the vocals just seem to be floating along as if they were feathers in a firestorm, ready to be engulfed by the surrounding fury. Regardless, the album is still a great listen and hopefully indicative of the quality of The Mary Timony Band's live performances.