Foreign Words

"With its earnest boy/girl harmonies, modest but spry instrumentation and daydreamy lyrics, Foreign Words sounds like a byproduct of the early '90s indie-pop boom. As it turns out, that's not far from the truth: Boycrazy was formed by vocalists/multi-instrumentalists Bryce Edwards and Rachel Blumberg in mid-'90s Portland, after both had spent time hanging out or playing with the Crabs, Sissyface and the Elephant 6 crew. Between jaunts as part of fellow jangle-pop perfectionists the Minders, Edwards and Blumberg established a permanent lineup for Boycrazy (adding a second guitarist/keyboardist and a bass player), which makes its debut on Foreign Words. Despite the band's obvious instrumental chops, the arrangements are unfussy and casually playful, marked by bop-along multi-part harmonies and simply strummed guitar/bass rhythms. By keeping it breezy and melodically bright, Boycrazy manages to avoid the more obvious shortcomings of indie-pop naiveté..."