The Wishes and the Glitch

iTunes Review

After releasing a number of records as Say Hi To Your Mom (all with words like “blah,” “sadness,” and “mopes” in the title), bedroom indie-popper Eric Elbogen drops the familial part of his performing name and becomes, simply, Say Hi. The Wishes and the Glitch also furthers Elbogen’s move towards a more complete, polished (and surprisingly dance-inducing) sound. The songs still feel organic and low-fi at their core, but the playing is tighter, the songs more emphatic, and the production brighter. Perhaps the title implies a slight shift to optimism; Elbogen’s plaintive pining evokes more hopeful melancholy than resignation or despair, and tracks like the collection’s corker, “Northwestern Girls,” is a celebration of all things possible (“it must be in the air here...”). Attention to brevity and melodic structure render tracks like the swooping and catchy “Toil and Tumble” (lovely additional vocals by Nouela Johnston) and the nostalgic “Back Before We Were Brittle” all but indelible; the faintly Cure-ish “Zero to Love” and the sad shimmer of “Magic Beans and Truth Machines” are entrancing. Flanged guitars, buzzing synths, wonderfully bittersweet boy/girl vocals, and elevated lyrical expression result in one very finely crafted recording.