Look Now Look Again

The trio of Caithlin De Marrais, Kyle Fischer, and William Kuehn hit their finest stride of contemplative, sweetly sour, male/female emo on their second LP, 1999's LOOK NOW LOOK AGAIN. It's one of the era's defining records, sung slightly off key, and played with minimal gloss but heart-wrenching impact. Off-kilter melodies abound but ultimately congeal, thanks to De Marrais and Fischer's insistence on bending their vocals to the will of the music. The earnest self-consciousness that marks Rainer Maria's lyrics is most pointed in "Feeling Neglected?" But ironically, the most exciting moments come during strides of exuberant sonic confidence on "Breakfast Of Champions" and the closer "I'm Melting!"