You're Always on My Mind

While this era of digital transformation and immediacy speeds up the artistic process for most groups, Brooklyn\'s A Great Big Pile of Leaves (AGBPOL?) took its time on its second album. Said to have been recorded between July 30 through Aug. 12, 2012, the album took nearly a year to get past the mastering-and-pressing stage. Lucky for AGBPOL, the music scene didn\'t rapidly change and leave these sounds out of date. The ensemble choruses of \"Snack Attack\" and \"Slumber Party\" have the usual Brooklyn-band pedigree of sing-along choruses and wordless oohs and ahhs in the proper places. But it\'s the slightly less jumpy new wave pop of \"Pet Mouse\" and the mellow Caribbean breezes of \"Back to School,\" the easeful \"Egocentrism,\" and the acoustic-based \"Locus of Control\" that let the melodies take stronger hold. As the band continues to mature, it\'s sure to keep learning that less is more and that hooks are at their best when you\'re not conscious of their presence, as the second half of this fine album explores.