Matthew Dear: Asa Breed

Label: Ghostly International

Forgoing the territory of glitch pop from his previous releases, Matthew Dear’s Asa Breed aims for a wider audience with a kind of minimal somber Sunday pop. The songs on this album are pared-down, smoothe love songs, almost like post-mortem on a summer affair. The album’s most promising moments are in the more foot-tapping gentle grooves of “Fleece on the Brain,” “Pom Pom” and the album’s closing songs. Fans of the Postal Service and John Tejada will find a similar brand of upbeat bittersweet pop. The album really kicks in toward the end, as Dear’s compositions become more edgy and build more on his glitsch-pop aesthetic, bringing in an almost Nick Cave-like longing to songs about lost love. (Marc)