Parenthetical Girls + Sam Mickens Sings the Dead Science + U.S. Royalty

Northside Festival. On their third album, Portland, Oregon's Parenthetical Girls exchange their guitar din for gushy chamber pop. The musical checkpoint seems to be Van Dyke Parks, yet the band's approach has a sense of amateurism. Coupled with Zac Pennington's naughty lyrics, the slanted arrangements render the album a berserk cabaret, possibly created by the mentally deranged.