American Whip

Opening with the warped instrumental "Sunstroke" (as blitzed and stumbling as its name implies), it moves into the breezy, ethereal pop of "Christmas Song", then the driving, scuzzy "Baby You Should Know". It's an impressive start, and it gets better. "Out of the Sun" rides on a garage riff, with vocals flying in from different angles and distances. "Dosed and Became Invisible" is hazy and innovative, while "Alzheimers", as its title suggests, drifts almost psychedelically in fuzzy dementia. Indeed, only the meandering instrumental "VSX" fails to command attention.

Variously produced by the band, David Holmes and My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields, American Whip will certainly not go careering up the charts, but it is conclusive proof that Joy Zipper are one of the finest indie outfits to spring from the East Coast in recent years. --Dominic Wills