Or

2017 release from the Portland, Oregon-based band. Eyelids existed long before the actual band came to be. Friends for over two decades, principal songwriters John Moen and Chris Slusarenko had long desired to get together to write songs, "sweet melodies" paired with "bummer vibes," which would fuse Big Star's jangle to XTC's melodicism, connecting the dots between the dream pop sounds of the '80s Paisley Underground to the homespun post-punk of the legendary Flying Nun label. With Or, the band's second full-length LP, Eyelids have created their most emotional record yet. Produced by Peter Buck of R. E. M. and mixed by Thom Monahan (Peter, Bjorn and John, Devandra Banhart, Fruit Bats), Or is liberally sprinkled with the hooks, melodies, and charming wordplay that make a certain kind of rock 'n' roll fan fall madly in love with an LP. Or marks the first time of having an outside producer and having Peter Buck in that role proved a steady presence, along with his encyclopedic rock know-how. "Peter brings a certain calm to the studio at an Eyelids session," Moen says. "I think he helps us get the best out of ourselves in a timely way, as he doesn't like belaboring a point. " Joined by guests Jay Gonzales (Drive-By Truckers), Jonathan Segel (Camper Van Beethoven) and Buck himself, the record demonstrates what happens when a group of old friends get into a room and truly collaborate. Or is the sound of a band realizing it's potential, of old friends connecting creatively and sonically, creating exuberant, nuanced, pop music.