Album Of The Week: Pile You’re Better Than This

Tom is off Album Of The Week duty today, so I've stepped in to tell you about Pile's new LP. Observers of the insular New England music scene have always referenced Pile as its backbone; they're the footnote at the bottom of a Speedy Ortiz track write-up, the namesake of Krill's 2014 slipshod concept EP Steve Hears Pile In Malden And Bursts Into Tears. It's not that Pile have been ignored; they just seem to have achieved the kind of mythical status typically ascribed to long-since-passed rock legends, so their actual music is often overlooked. It's ironic that Pile have been graced with this type of acclaim, because they haven't crafted any sort of intriguing overarching narrative, nor are they mysterious, elusive homebodies recording quiet contemplations on a four-track. They don't have a snarky Twitter persona or apathetic affect. In an age when everyone is trying their absolute best to be a "Special Snowflake," Pile are a band made up of four seemingly ordinary dudes who like noisy, acerbic rock music. They're not trying to win you over in any unique way, and that's what makes their third LP, You're Better Than This, sound like pure fucking magic if it catches you at the right moment.