Nurses
Apple's Acre
[Dead Oceans]
Get It at Amazon

We usually reserve words like "polarizing" for things with moral gravity like political policy or public behavior. When applied to a Portland, Ore. psych-pop band like Nurses, such terms start to seem less applicable. But the trio's debut LP, Apple's Acre, is without a doubt one of those albums for which your ability to tolerate the sonic texture alone dictates completely whether you can like it or not, all discussions of content aside. I feel like you'd either have to love this album based on your first listen, or hate it.

See, the content is good. Sure, it might be influenced heavily by current indie pop movements (and by "movements" I mean Animal Collective or piano-based bands like White Rabbits). And yes, Aaron Chapman and John Bowers have voices that are unavoidably nasal. But for those that found such eccentricities charming in bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, these things shouldn't be insurmountable when endeavoring to enjoy what's underneath. 

Because what's underneath is contrapuntal and punchy and buoyant. Standout "Caterpillar Playgrounds" meshes actual whistling (or something that simulates whistling) with creative percussion and melodic keyboard backing, a musical tapestry that conjures childhood imagery and just a little of what could be cynical maturity. Others tracks sound darker. "Manatarms" features vocal interplay, sometimes unaccompanied, that rocks back and forth, bubbling and rippling. It really, really sounds like Animal Collective. Really. Which doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable; people love Animal Collective, and with good reason. Like AC, Nurses do a beautiful job of blending their echoing vocals with pounding tribal drums and snaking melodies that build theatrically throughout a song's length. Even "Lita," their take on more traditional ditties, has a thumping heartbeat and sustained, warbling Rhodes tones that set it apart from what it emulates. Apple's Acre explores a whole world of sound in a small space. Out of something old, Nurses have created something new, love it or hate it.