Labels: self released
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Hey, it’s another Insouciant release. These seem to happen every two years or so. I like this band, they just get on with whatever they feel like doing, no great fanfare, and they let me know about it. I wish more good bands would do this, how am I supposed to know what you are doing unless you tell me about it? Maybe this is how music should work. Bands figure out who likes them, and then send them a link to their bandcamp. All the effort is removed from the listener and placed upon the band, yeah, I am thinking this makes sense [note: I wrote this bit after about 4 beers].
Variable Resistor kicks off with “Unending, Unraveling” which is a big blur of mathematical guitars, which is generally the kind of thing that I have not much time for, but Insouciant seem to do something different. As technical and fiddly as this is, I am sucked right into the groove and nod along as the vocals sink and soar. It brings to mind the great big melodic muddle of those Wisconsin band from around the turn of the century. Managra, Tintoretto, that kind of thing. Is that reference any use to you? Fuck it. Oh shit, now I have a website streaming the Tintoretto CD and I am getting side tracked. Back to you in a second. [note: I never came back to this review at this point as I started listening to loads of other music instead, and had to finish this review another day].
Well, this whole EP is a fine piece of work, they throw in a few curveballs, “Solid Bond” breaking in all jazzy and gentle, a far cry from the wild swings of the first two songs, but it’s not long until the guitars are swirling around and the vocals are hollering from the rafters. Gets a bit too fiddly for me in places though. Things are slowed back down on “Over and Over” which reminds me a bit of Engine Down’s 2nd LP here and there, which is a good thing!
At 5 tracks there’s not a huge amount to get stuck in to, but what is present is a consistent quality throughout. This is another fine release from this lot. Well worth a go.