Seance Crasher's "Basement Behavior" Is Old Pop-Rock for Young Romantics

By Nathan Carson

[SAFE SPACES] The only thing in the Rafn brothers' basement you need to beware is a broken heart. Seance Crasher is Kevin Rafn's project. His brother, Daniel, backs him up, and their vocal harmonies contain the subtle creepiness that siblings singing together tend to conjure. Overall, though, Basement Behavior is a highly crafted display of classic, two-minute pop rockers captured in a clean, unpretentious production style. Romanticism is the theme of Seance Crasher's fourth album, painted thick over its omni-amorous opening clarion call, "I Even Love You More," which sounds a bit like Sean Lennon singing over a Belle and Sebastian tune. "Headstrong" nods toward Love and Rockets, but in a way that's devoid of nervous tension. "Life Is Hard" has a vocal cadence that pleasantly stands on the shoulders of Paul McCartney's first solo album. "Play the Field" is a waltz with a taste of coconut on the rim, until it goes all Brian Wilson with a theremin solo, and the guitar leads throughout are prayers to Walter Becker. Basement Behavior never gets weird or pushes buttons beyond love and longing, but it's comforting music that is designed to make young romantics swoon—even if the band members' brand of retro pop will likely appeal far more to their parents.

SEE IT: Seance Crasher plays Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., with Jackson Boone, Wave Action and DJ Rocky Tinder, on Wednesday, Aug. 31. 8:30 pm. $7. 21+.

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