Labels: Friction Records – Joyful Noise Recordings
Review by: Andy Malcolm
I’d never heard of either of these bands before, but took the plunge after hearing some Abner Trio stuff on their Myspace page. They play a nice brand of post rock / midwestmo, combining the talky angle of Slint with something a little more bouncy at times, but still brooding on the gloomier, moody element, reminding me more than a little of Three Mile Pilot. Each song rumbles for 3 to 4 minutes, building up and collapsing unexpectedly. “The Reckoning” herky-jerks into view like some unheard Proudentall effort, which was most pleasing to this obscurist. It has a superb breakdown where it drains away to a minimal emptiness, before firing back up again. Track 3 “the Hysteria” continues this flavour, and has a moment of unconstrained yelling that is right Cap’n Jazz. So there you go, a good mish-mash of sounds that you don’t hear every day. Worth a listen for sure.
I didn’t check out Man At Arms before ordering this, and they do not really appeal to me. They play math-rock type gubbins, quick paced, spinning off at different angles and not having any hooks to draw me in. Too bad.