Hallelujah The Hills: Collective Psychosis Begone

Hallelujah The Hills is the title of an obscure 1963 film, but the band by that moniker is more reminiscent of a Polyphonic Spree/Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! hybrid in sound and aesthetic. The Boston's band debut does feature a tiny bring-the-people-together campfire element, complete with a cappella sing-along. Ultimately, however, Hallelujah is essentially a more cynical animal with a fleshed-out indie-rock post-post-post-Neutral Milk Hotel kitchen-sink agenda (trumpet, Moog, cello, etc). The mostly solid pop songwriting feels like it comes from a fourth or fifth album, and the songs vary from gentle acoustic numbers to blown-out, instruments-raging psych-lite. On its  website, Hallelujah The Hills promises it will make 33 albums before disbanding. The "great" album may be somewhere in the remaining 32 chances, but this isn't a shabby introduction.