Ears Wide Open: KO KO

Kevin Bronson on April 9th, 2012

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The swooning songs of indie-pop’s latest contenders KO KO are constructed from the most basic of building blocks: falsetto vocals, lithe melodies, shuffling percussion and a bit of whistling. What brothers Ryan and Taylor Lawhon exhibit on their debut EP “Float” is admirable restraint; their first three songs do indeed have a buoyant quality that, unlike many purveyors of dream-pop, doesn’t come from drowning everything in reverb or screeching toward the highest register. It’s a change of pace (and owing to its summery feel, a change of weather) from the Lawhons’ other project White Apple Tree, who released an album and an EP of New Wave-inspired synth-pop in 2010.