One of the stupidest terms to come out of the 2010/blog music scene was the term Chillwave. As you can reasonably ascertain from the name, it was a genre of bands that came out around the same time that shared a passion for chilling out. Even if the title doesn’t sound particularly familiar to you, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about one of the following chillwave bands: Memory Tapes, Neon Indian, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out. These bands all shared a nostaglia for the AM pop sounds of the 60s and synthesizers from the 80s, and adding a healthy amount of reverb, delay, and echo just to make sure that you knew this wasn’t the now now but the past now. This resulted in a rather murky mix of sounds that evoked straight relaxation and bored dancing from many.

Although this term is now said only by music critics to offer reference points and squares that are way too late the party, some artists didn’t get the memo that this genre was over. This is where Idiot Glee enters the picture. Serving as the alter ego for Lexington, KY based James Friley, Idiot Glee’s debut album Paddywhack is the perfect death to the chillwave genre. It definitely works in the same vein as all of the bands that I mentioned above. Many of the songs are built on repetitious loops and chintzy-sounding keyboards. The overall psychedelic vibe is reminiscent of sitting outside on a cool summer night and watching the fireflies illuminate the sky. But, this album pushes chillwave in productive directions that don’t allow for disaffected boredom anymore.

The primary reason for this is the singing of Friley. Evoking a clear doo-wop feeling and the raw sincerity of Gary Wilson, his voice is clear and engaging. It adds a great amount of emotion to the overall mix. Most importantly, the boy can flat out sing. Period. On “Don’t Go Out Tonight,” the chillwave vein is there, but Friley’s singing a doo-wop song, replete with simple, deep basslines, easy drumming, and the lovely touches of a higher octave overdub and a glockenspiel. He creates a harmony with himself, which shows not only a lot of technique but a solid singing ability. This vocal talent comes into display on “Deep Descent,” which has a more frantic rhythm than “Don’t Go Out Tonight.” The track slowly builds like a train leaving the station with its wailing keyboards and motorik bassline. While he tries to bury his vocal in the track, it still shines through and shows its strength.

It is clear from the first track that Friley has one of the most distinct voices in Indie Rock right now, and he’s made a humdinger of an album to put with it. Full of excellent production and made with great precision, Paddywhack is an excellent debut album from the Kentucky artist. The songs all work together and never leave the listener bored, moving from slower doo-wop ballads to faster Beach Boys-style pop songs easily. While this album might recall chillwave in its laid back vibe, it’s the furtherest thing from the genre, which is only a blessing. Given that Idiot Glee has been nibbling around the margins for a while, this album should be the break that Friley has needed. Should easily be one of the top albums to come out this year as it is unique and rewards listeners with repeated listening.

To get a taste for what’s going on, I’ve posted a live version of one of the choicest cuts on this album: “All Packed Up.”