By: Liz Levine
Rating: 7/11

Rhythmic trio Private Income (formerly Zero Spanish) take their indie-rock lineup to a place less precious and more authoritative, weaving energy and rawness into the members’ structured playing. Kelly Rae Kerwin makes the keyboard do her bidding as she alternates between sweet church organ, pounding assaults, and swirling scales, bringing classical training to the level of rock. Her vocals are feathery and girlish, not unlike the layered ladies of Au Revoir Simone, but are delivered with an emotive and tone-bending power that betrays her sweetness and sounds more like Nico. “Good Buddies” starts as a dark waltz and builds into an ominous space invaders march, with Kerwin’s robotic monotone blended to sound both terrifying and angelic. Deron Pulley’s Pixies bass on “Souvenir” teases between ballpark organ while Jeff Gretz’s drums insert awesome fills throughout. Private Income’s tempos are driving, and their songs tend to pound forward in some sort of dark unison, with moods dark and eyes forward – but they also know how to jam. “The Rider” flows with glistening keyboard and jumpy bass for a bit, and then turns into a jazzy, open exploration of those instruments’ highs and lows. Through their tunes, these guys have a distinct mood, as if they’re not to be messed with, making their gutsy pop demand attention.