Taller Children is Elizabeth & The Catapult's debut album. They are a trio from Brooklyn consisting of Elizabeth Ziman, Dan Molad, and Pete Lalish (are Dan and Pete "the catapult"?). I've been listening to the group for a while now; their self-titled EP came out in 2006 and features a few numbers that later appeared in Taller Children. Their sound is a little bit folk, a little bit pop, and a smattering of jazz, rock and soundtrack. As a whole, the album is quite eclectic, where one genre's influence takes the forefront in one song and all but disappears in another. "Apathy" and "Complimentary Me" are delightfully and shamelessly folksy. "Rainiest Day of Summer" and "Right Next To You" are mesmerizing, ethereal ballads that escape categorization. The vocals, wonderfully led by Elizabeth, are the mortar that connects the unique songs and sounds into a consistent and expressive album.
Most of the songs give me a feeling of nostalgia and sentimentality, but the title track is decidedly cynical in its assertion "in the end, we're all just taller children": cynical yes, but not in a brooding, loathing sort of way... the upbeat kind of cynicism (?). A few songs remind me of KT Tunstall (which in this author's opinion is a good thing), particularly in the soulful vocals and the use of strong beats like those in "Everybody Knows" and "Race You". Though not always in the form of a drum set (sometimes claps, guitar strums or backup vocals), rhythm is invariably an essential part of their music, cluing the listener into the mood and tone of each song. Taller Children is one of the most varied albums I've heard this year and its range of sound and tone is without a doubt one of its strong suits.
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