Sharp or dull

Pop acts, it seems, are steering back to the more is more model. Take The Sharp Things. Like their Chicago-based orchestral pop counterparts, Head of Femur or Australia's Architecture in Helsinki, the band boasts something like 78 members. Oh, all right, more like 10 or 13, depending on the day. But still.

Anchored by a loungy piano and no stranger to the sounds of Burt Bacharach, Elton John or, at a stretch, Elvis Costello, the New York group also offers horns a plenty and a full-bodied strings section. Obviously, The Sharp Things venerate the 70s—not the cool, punk 70s whose legacy everyone and their cat is laying claim to these days. More like the 70s of disco and mustard yellow leisure suits, roller rinks and Afternoon Delight. Add a generous dollop of musical theater and a pinch of funk, and you start getting at the band's vibe.

The Sharp Things have actually been around in one incarnation or another for 10 years and recently released their second album, Foxes and Hounds on Bar/None. I can't decide if I kinda love this or kinda loathe it.

The Suicide Bombers (mp3) – The Sharp Things

Homeless (mp3) – The Sharp Things