Run Dan Run: Official Site, MySpace

On Basic Mechanics, Run Dan Run floats through twelve sterling tracks of ground-level indie pop rock. Sans bells and whistles, the band delivers in step-by-step fashion, covering the familiar and comfortable ground of artists such as REM, Broken Social Scene, and The Dismemberment Plan.

Run Dan Run’s embrace of synth pop as a texture as opposed to a thesis indubitably assists in the records ultimate success as a collective piece. “Multi-Colored Lights” treads lightly with samples before escalating into a horn-backed ballad. “Stop Sign” shuffles a keyboard samba line, unobtrusive yet infectious. “Your Name Escapes Me” pushes comparisons to The Postal Service without a hint of plagiary. The foundation on Basic Mechanics is rock. The gaps are simply left to electronics.

Yet, the two strongest tracks open and close the album with expansive guitars and driving tempo. “Withheld Information” and “The Turnover” are two points of an eggshell adjoined by the yolk within. Run Dan Run avoids a predictable formula by establishing one too complex to recognize or predict, and does so to great effect. Basic Mechanics is a surprising and wholly enjoyable album, and sets the stage for Run Dan Run to follow quite successfully should they stick to their own math.

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