The Stella Link

It’s not hard to rack up a new high score playing the “Spot the Influence” game while listening to Mystic Jaguar … Attack!!!! The Stella Link manages to re-create and combine the dueling feedback of Quicksand, the prog-rock jamming of Slint and the angst-inspired melodies of Sunny Day Real Estate. But it fails to create anything new. The spacious, musing instrumental intro sets a mellow pace, with an introspective, trouble-brewing-beneath-the-surface tone that hints vaguely at older, better records. “Fog Machine” is the closest the band gets to breaking fresh ground, but it’s still reminiscent of something Fugazi or Sonic Youth probably recorded 10 years ago. The album title prompts high hopes that the record will attack the senses, but this Mystic Jaguar only scratches the surface.