By: Liz Levine

Rating: 7/11

Brooklyn’s Takka Takka are a very indie-seeming band, even in a world where there’s really no good, all-encompassing definition for that label. Gentle, inoffensive, and guitar-driven, the now quintet (after several lineup changes) plays pretty music for folks who want to relax and ponder a summer’s eve or youthful innocence. They excel at taking a specific beat, driving it with a thoughtful vocal melody from talk-singer Gabe Levine, and giving it flavor with a grab-bag of sounds shuffling in and out of the background. Behind the dancing, note-picking guitars of Rene Planchon and Drew Thurlow, one might hear anything from drumstick clicking and fierce maraca to machine-driven buzz and glistening squeaks. They experiment with accompaniment rather than with their main sound, and the end result is airy, sweet, and quite catchy. Having toured with friends and blog-stars Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, their recent release Migration is full of pleasant guitar rock with just the right amount of funkiness.