Labels: Panic Arrest
Review by: I.P.
There’s a good chance I’m missing something fundamental here, but after several listens Cut Iowa Network’s LP appears as drably executed as its sun-drenched artwork.
The album’s opener starts brightly enough, kicking off with a pulsating kraut-inspired riff and syncopated drum beat, whirling you through a barrage of cyclic drone-rock loops. Due to its seemingly endless repetition, you ultimately feel cheated that there’s no form of memorable crescendo, change of tempo or, well, anything to distinguish it from the tracks that succeed it. At times, you do feel a pinch of Neu! and Can, but, contrary to these masters of kraut and psych, there’s no urge here to kick back and light up a monstrous doobie. Instead, you’re left tapping your feet, frequently glancing at your watch and clutching to the meagre hope that at some point these lads took the initiative to interject some life into their debut record. Sadly not. On the positive side, fans of Tortoise will be in ecstasy!