Tarantula/Blue Blood

It was originally released in 2005, but shamefully, Tarantula was not widely available until Goner Records reissued it in 2011, where it was paired with Limes' all but lost CD-R from 2006, Blue Blood. On their debut album, Limes had worked out the basic framework of their sound -- sloppy guitar clatter, a playful, greasy undertow of garage rock and `90s indie rock, and a slack-as-hell style of delivery from Shawn Cripps -- and, while it was sloppy, it all came together into something kind of magical. "Pop Music" and "North Dakota" show off Cripps' sly way with words as he wobbles through a feverish stream of consciousness. Meanwhile, with their blend of chaos and precision, "Into a Tree" and "Under My Head" are deceptively poppy -- and a pair of Limes' most solid songs. The end of Tarantula drags a touch, and transitions with a purr into the wearier Blue Blood, which -- in a sense -- is a bootleg of B-sides. But even though its 11 tracks are under-produced, underdeveloped, and barely tuneful, "Write You a Letter," "Instrü Mental in D," and "Blow This Town" are totally charming all the same. ~ Jason Lymangrover