Orchestraville were one of the premiere bands as I came of age in the dingy clubs of the early ’90s Athens music scene. They stood out from crowd by infusing their music with quirky angularity and a much poppier feel than their contemporaries. I had, at a young age, developed an affinity for XTC, and damned if these guys didn’t nail the sound. It also didn’t hurt that Dave Pascoe was a complete badass on what was, up to that point, the only fretless bass I had ever seen. I was hooked. Two albums, a 7-inch and a few comp tracks later, however, that was that. The band fell into that hazy, excess-soaked gray matter not often called upon, dubbed “the ’90s.” It was quite a shock this past fall, then, to hear tell of a new record. I usually greet these types of reunions with a fair amount of trepidation. Putting an album out after so many years usually goes the way of having a release show in the lobby of a Holiday Inn or, at best, being a pale imitation of the reasons you loved the band in the first place. Orchestraville did neither of these things. ...
