REVIEWSLittle Joy, ‘Little Joy’

7

• SPIN Rating:7 of 10

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Label: Rough Trade

Little Joy, a band as twee as their name, sound a lot like the Strokes -- which is rather unsurprising, since the Strokes' Fabrizio Moretti is theirdrummer. Still, it's almost unnerving how much frontman Rodrigo Amarante's vocals resemble Julian Casablancas' mumble-croon. But that's partly why the trio's best songs are so intoxicating: Though sometimes courting sleepiness, the debut's barbershop harmonies, Hawaiian strumming, and lovesick melodies transform rock-club jadedness into an aesthetic fit for honeymoons, holidays, and other occasions where you savor small pleasures, even if they're quaintly recycled.

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