Exit Clov's Respond Respond makes other projects described as "ambitious" seem like child's play. A seamless blend of strings, synthesizer and the beautifully harmonized voices of twin sisters Emily and Susan Hsu make this EP like nothing you have ever heard. This six-track disc is littered with moments of brilliance but is tempered overall by a technological over-exuberance that takes away from its cheerful melancholia.

For example, opening track "DIY" is a powerful indictment of the music industry, despite the commonality of such indie-rocker pleas. Yet the instrumental production is too seamless for its own good, as it drowns out the perfect harmonizing that is Exit Clov's greatest asset. While its overall production is impressive, Respond Respond would benefit from a rethinking in which certain layers of what is at times a cacophony of sounds could rise to the foreground.

The second track, "Beast Simone," is arguably the most impressive, sporting delightfully spiteful and inane lyrics, including, "She got her acid in the morning/ Alka seltzer in the night/ Oh, she was no ordinary girl." In this respect, Exit Clov has it right in ways a band can't just develop, but must possess effortlessly. This Washington, D.C.-based quartet simply knows what sounds good, and how to craft insightful and personable lyrics.

Additionally, they prove once and for all that there are only two ways to use the violin. This is the good way, "Yellowcard" is the bad way. Combined with everything else that makes Exit Clov unique, this could make their dark brand of political pop palatable for commercial consumption sooner rather than later.

Nonetheless, they may have already reached the crossroads of their musical career. At times, Exit Clov realizes their brilliance, and at others leaves their comfort zone and quite simply put too much into it. Most frustrating of all are tracks like "violent berries," in which you can't help but feel that better instrumental production and more emphasis on the twins' voices and the inane synth grooves could have made the song perfect.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, tracks like "Moving Gaza," while lyrically sound, bring them dangerously close to the club grooves that could render their unique brand of hip political rock obsolete and leave their vision open to complete corruption. The following cut, "MK Ultra" seems to be their musical thesis statement, and if this track got a trippy music video and a little corporate attention, it would become an indie-rock mainstay for hipsters across the nation.

The reason Exit Clov are so promising is their sense of history, funk and the fact that they're just plain cool. Yet they are also a casualty of our iTunes-shuffle society, changing genres not only multiple times in a CD, but in one track. In layman's terms, they're awesome for 2 minutes, and for the remaining 45 seconds they've forgotten why they're so cool.

The final track, "Communist BBQ" is a perfect example of where Exit Clov is musically, a beautifully written song sung in a tone slightly too dark, but the vocal levels are again slightly too low. Anytime a jewel case is the most reasonable method to decode lyrical genius like, "Quit yer Stalin, go buy yer Che shirts now Petro Caribe! We'll bring the gringo's down!" it is clear the band and its producers have sold themselves short.

Exit Clov must remember that there can be more wisdom in silence than in a complicated, multi-tiered jam session. Once they become more comfortable with the insanity this EP leads us to believe they want to create, Exit Clov will be a band to watch, but until then they must tour obscure nightclubs throughout the Eastern seaboard to put the pieces together.

Grade: 3 out of 5