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Kansas City's Nameless Number Head Man is quickly garnering a following and finding critical acclaim. And quite understandably. This is a band who is attempting to do something new and unique. They play with their instruments and make interesting things happen and often land a hook in the listener's ear.

Your Voice Repeating is the band's second full length and follows up 2002's When We Leave, We Will Know Where We've Been. This album finds the band completely unafraid of branching out and trying new things. To picture the musical territory Nameless Number Head Man covers, imagine equal parts Death Cab for Cutie, Air, and Ester Drang. So basically what you have here is an indie pop rock atmospheric electronic outfit. Not exactly something you find every day, but compelling to be sure.

The difficulty comes in the fact that the album doesn't have much cohesiveness to hold the whole thing together. It's not a complete, full experience like the three bands I mentioned earlier. However, what we do find is many great musical moments that make the listen highly worthwhile nonetheless. 

"Every Fiber" is a good way to draw the listener in for the rest of the album with it's indie pop sensibilities which are soon lost in the off kilter chorus. "Tension Envelopes" is an involving instrumental song with electronic elements. "(At Least) Three Cheers for Cause and Effect" starts out a lot like Air's "Mike Mills" before exploding into something bigger and bolder. Another album highlight is "Going to Breathe Again." The album closer "Cloud Moon Stars" somehow conjures up memories of the film Magnolia. Perhaps it would work well as a song for the end credits of a film as we ponder the journey our characters have been on.

And so we see many flashes of brilliance on Your Voice Repeating, just not the necessary thread connecting it all. But keep an eye on Nameless Number Head Man. These guys have the ingenuity and boldness to hit one out of the park at any time. I'll be ready.

Trae Cadenhead 8/8/2004