Roundup: As We Draw, Insouciant, Jose Delhart, Lion Cub, Snatch Magnet, Yell at Birds

As We Draw – Lines Breaking Circles

I think what strikes me most are numbers like “Shield”; Ontarian post hardcore riffs right into a sludgy groove metal variation… A rolling snare and doom riff complement the transition and I can’t help but feel like I’m jamming to a slightly more confused Mare - or a Mare that hasn’t seen the bottom yet. As We Draw commands pathos well – preternaturally even – With a release of this caliber, they can stand as a more introverted Buried Inside or Union of Uranus; Lines Breaking Circles thinks first, but rather than allow its obvious mechanical ability act as middleman, produces a mulled outlook second. We know this is to be felt because its been felt for so long and in so many different ways between the album’s writing and our listening to it. If you were conflicted with Lucky Me like I was, then this is undoubtedly its antithesis. Interplay between all of the strings is wisely integrated into the affect of the disc, and it’s that understatement that keeps momentum strong over other bands’ tired impulse to draw obvious lines around their layers. It’s my hope that this will be a sleeper hit in the way that Chronoclast was, reminding us that emotion-driven heavy music is vital and not contracted to the whims of a fickle scene.

(8.5/10)

Insouciant – Dresser

Kind of narcoleptic when compared to a monument like Time of Orchid‘s Namesake Caution, Dresser is harmless enough; unwieldy moments like “Seemed” at least offer a window to Insouciant‘s intentions… Which all comes off as a bit jammy – but devoted. Things definitely pick up with “Capture the Flag”, a song that owns a healthy relationship to Ozma‘s and Moneen‘s past. It’s actually quite a well balanced and unforced number that keeps it up into “Heart’s Desire” and the album’s stronger final act. Longform writing suits Insouciant, and the band certainly knows how to approach a diversity of tones and instrumental input, but sometimes a listener needs to be told to sit up straight and pay attention – Or be given incentive to.

(6.1/10)

Jose Delhart - Little Red Buddha

Funereal would be a word to use, but used to the same effect as one would praise last year’s Marrow of the Spirit or even 2002′s ( )… I’m not even sure what arena or audience would best suit Little Red Buddha. It certainly matches (possibly exceeds) the Cave/Ellis collabs that usually delve into a Colorado mountain dirge. And yet I feel Jose Delhart privileges the song as opposed to its intentions; and for this reason I feel that Tartar Lamb‘s Sixty Metonymies is the more successful iteration of this strangely now-common doomfolk impulse. This decidedly North American release is all-inclusive; a frequently Spanish croon speaks more to a unified geography and land-spirit than the bordered peoples who walk on it today. For this reason, Buddha and Delhart are able to remain grounded - even if it means indulging in the ethereal of the continent – but remain wholly mysterious.

(7.6/10)

Lion Cub – Seneca

When the Genre Gods were pulling straws to see who’d get post-rock, I can’t help but think a style such as Lion Cub‘s should have claimed it. Not quite whispery (and now Grammy hording) folk, and too self assured to be a rock n’ roller, Seneca comes off like a face-lift for “easy listening” rock from 15 years ago. Ben Folds would be too obvious a comparison… I’d go with a lost and sunnier Hope of the States record. The neat thing is that Lion Cub (under the direction of Chad Jewett) has such a familiar base but finds ease in doubling up on outside influences. The organ and almost mellotronic lead that waltz in the bombastic opener “Paintings of Hungry People” is an early example. “Cathedral” reminds of Mogwai‘s “Fresh Crown”, another unexpected fusion. Seneca does not spend time arriving at a generic niche to takes out its toys in; it offers itself as confident, well executed, and even redemptive alternative album.

(7.5/10)

Snatch Magnet – Screw, Nut & Bolt

For an album that comes off as an LP’s worth of Dillinger Escape Plan‘s more ill-conceived ideas, there is certainly some background metallurgy to appreciate. Yeah, Screw, Nut & Bolt feels like a high profile side-project given the full band treatment, the pros and cons of the former intact and magnified. Snatch Magnet admire a lot of rockstars and even seem to have a Govanian ability to pay homage to them (sup “Multi-Girl”) – Strength-wise, Bolt can claim the title of being the cheeseball commercial metal One Armed Bandit (as opposed to Jaga Jazzist‘s… more respectable culling of 20th century prog and jazz). As for weaknesses, I’m sure you as a listener can decide if that previously mentioned strength is worth regular rotation on your Ipod. Bolt works like Dana Carvey’s impressions work… Both can only pull off so many but they happen to be worth a few snorts in the end. So, Snatch Magnet, you’ve all produced a solid resume – Your versatility really is clinic level and has legitimately impressed. Now all of you form a real band.

(5.7/10)

Yell at Birds – Guilty Pleasures

“Curse Her Black Heart” and “Old Horse” are not really that portentous or encapsulating… In that they neither enclose this 2 song EP nor really give a tenuous hint at a possible full-length. “Old Horse” is the stronger track, implying that this is more of a single with added b-side. Clangorous alt-core (that vaguely keeps ties to the Botch/Coalesce family tree) is the main identity here, but both examples are not entirely memorable… Vocal arcs usually begin and resolve in the same syllabic pattern while 1-2-uppercut chords clash with little reason to.

(4.0/10)

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Roundup: As We Draw, Insouciant, Jose Delhart, Lion Cub, Snatch Magnet, Yell at Birds

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