Once upon a time, you could say “Brooklyn band” and instantly conjure a set of characteristics straight outta Central Casting: beards, guitar scree, a practice space in Williamsburg, side projects that transformed this melange into 10-inch dance sides. Grooms are now five albums into their sonic journey, and on Exit Index, the trio has steered pretty deliberately from its Sonic Youth-meets-Helium past toward a present tinged with a decidedly hazy dream-pop glow. In a just and right world, “Horoscope” would find a home on the radio, and “Magistrate Seeks Romance” would provide the soundtrack for a thousand teenage makeout sessions. As it is, this is the finest damn thing Grooms have recorded, and it represents the best sort of American pop extant, all angsty dislocation with tricky melodies for days and textures that beg you to listen over and over again. “Where are my millions?” sings Travis Johnson on the album’s opener, “The Directory.” I guess it depends upon what kinds of riches you’re counting. I’ve found mine.
—Corey duBrowa
