Suburban Home
2005
Tiny Airplane
About This Album
Chicago-based quartet Sanawon (the name means "fierce" in Korean, ironic given lead singer Jenny Choi's helium-toned voice and the band's overall lighter-than-air quality) open their debut album with a near-perfect four minutes' worth of indie pop. "Best Worst Thing" mixes Choi's electronic keyboards with Josiah Mazzaschi's Yo La Tengo-esque guitar lines for a sound that recalls Ivy's dreamy, continental take on early-'90s twee pop, adding just enough melodic heft (not to mention a terrific chorus) to keep from fading into mere prettiness. Although none of the nine following tracks quite hit that brilliant high point again, Tiny Airplane is varied enough, both in its tunes and its arrangements, to be an enjoyably frothy listen. Echoes of late-period St. Etienne, the Sundays (Choi's voice is startlingly similar to Harriet Wheeler's on the slower tunes), and others drift through the songs, but Sanawon are their own band; while not quite a great album, Tiny Airplane shows remarkable promise. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
Track List (try tracks 1,3,5 and 10)

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