World's Fair - We Can't Be Magic LP - Black w/ Orange Swirl Vinyl

Rok Lok (2019)

Back in 2015 I took a chance on a band that got an Archers of Loaf comparison in a review that I read.  While that comparison never really made a ton of sense to me, I did end up enjoying that first World's Fair record quite a bit.  After their debut release, they went kind of quiet and to be honest, I just assumed they had broken up or something like that.

Imagine my surprise to discover their sophomore LP, We Can't Be Magic.  It does remind me a lot of their first album (which it probably should, as they are the same band after all), but what I see more on this album is a propensity to indulge in a few more Yuck/Built To Spill sort of epic guitar solo leads.  While I am on record as not being a huge fan of extended guitar wanking, it is done tastefully throughout the course of the record as it tends to add depth to the songs, rather than overshadow them.

There is an unmistakeable 90s vibe to this record and for that I can only applaud the band.  If you are looking for a little slab of indie rock that will evoke your memories of twenty five years ago, giving this World's Fair album a spin would likely be a good idea.

World's Fair - We Can't Be Magic:
https://roklokrecords.bandcamp.com/album/we-cant-be-magic

World's Fair - Leisurely LP - Blue w/ White Splatter Vinyl (/100)

Rok Lok (2015)

I love 1990's indie rock.  It's just one of my absolute favorite things and one of the easiest ways to get me to check out a record is to tell me it reminds you of Archers of Loaf.  That's what happened with the band World's Fair.  I read an Archers comparison online and immediately bought the record.  While I'm still not sure that Archers are the best point of reference for this band, I'm glad I picked up Leisurely.

Reading that last paragraph, it should come as no surprise that World's Fair's music does in fact lean towards 90's indie rock.  While they do have some of the fuzzy guitar flourishes of Archers of Loaf in general I think they lean more towards the Built To Spill side of the spectrum.  An even more accurate comparison would be to the first Yuck record, I think.  Whatever bands you want to reference, World's Fair is playing dynamic, intricate indie rock with no shortage of hooks and catchy melodies.  There are a couple of songs that go a little too far down the distorted vocal path for my personal taste, but that isn't how every song is recorded.

Overall, it's a very strong record, one that I've found myself repeatedly going back to over the past few weeks.  I think 2015 has started off a little slow as far as the number of new records that have come out that I'm into, but with band's like World's Fair on the list, at least the quality level has been quite high,

World's Fair - Leisurely LP:

http://roklokrecords.bandcamp.com/album/leisurely