Really enjoyed the first Entropy LP and this does exactly what I’d want it to: essentially more of the same, but sharper, slicker, and bolstered by a deeper sense of confidence now that they’ve got a few more miles on the clock.
Essentially, if you have a ‘thing’ for that point in the mid 90s when major labels were idiotically snapping up post-hardcore bands then you will likely fall pretty hard for ‘Dharmakāya’. It’s crunchy, in a bleary sort of way, and highly melodic without being pushy about it. While I want to spout names like Handsome, Catherine Wheel and Texas Is The Reason, the holy trinity here is thus: Jawbox, Arcwelder and Sugar. Things are propulsive and shimmery, but occasionally a little bit tricksy. Everything, generally speaking, sounds chipper, but there’s also an ingrained sense of wanness that you can’t entirely escape.
Somehow, too, they possess a weirdly dream-like knack for feeling intense and full of meaning while things are happening, only for said sensation to vanish like soap bubbles as soon as the music stops. This might sound like a diss, but it isn’t: somehow this fleetingness is part of the charm, because while you’re unlikely to ever have one of these songs stuck in your head, you’ll sure as heck want to dive back in to figure out precisely what makes the whole album tick.