Screen Vinyl Image - Strange Behavior
Matthew Cudo
Already the good friends of A Place To Bury Strangers, but still haven't received enough respect they truly deserve..
They are a team that can serve as a model to be independent. After two highly-excellent albums, they were able to entirely define their value and contribution to independent music. SVI already experimented with sound on the previous one - Interceptors, creating next to Ñdancefulî psychodelia also rich in instrumentation and doze of experiments compositions. Since then, being fully aware, they follow their own chosen trail, creating a wellbalanced mixture full of electronics, new wave/shoegaze feelings. All in the psychedelic sauce, with a touch of extravagance and nostalgia after 80s.
Creative independence, releasing records in small independent labels, caused they werenít widely promoted. As truly deserve. This, however, did not stopped them from achieving the status of a very important group for fans of ambitious music. Even though their Interceptors from 2009 seemed to be the peakís endeavour of their career, being from the beginning to the end addictive journey for the listener, the new one is not less attractive. On the previous, each track was in the harmonized measure of the experiments, at the same time being able to gain average radio listenerís attention.. That could only mean they converted demanding art with pleasure for ears.. Exploding on&on with coulours of music, from ethereal subtlety to the poetic trance of art.. Tracks such as Fever, Asteroid Exile and Until The End Of Time could be the canons of contemporary non-commercial music. At the same time they do have the potential to become pretty massive hits. But bear in mind it was difficult to distinguish from Interceptors individual tracks, as they are arranged in a coherent, logical whole. And after a few listens, even the easiest sounds, turned out to have a lot to offer.
The effect is very similar on the follow-up, currently released album - Strange Behavior. The duo Kim & Jake did not get rid of the soundstyle achieved of their previous outstanding album. There is no innovation or not-needed bravado. Weíve got an album of truly mature musicians. Compositionally thoughtful and creative. Again there are some of the potential alternative hits such as opening track We Donít Belong, Station 4 or New Visions. They are definitely outstanding songs from a borderline of territories like electronic, shoegaze and even krautrockís vibe. There's also a bit of Joy Divisionís climates that increases in an inconspicuous song My Confession that burst of 80ís feeling beyond its texture. These tracks are followed by another experimental works, which are based on the wall of guitars and often taking the form of more or less controlled noise. This is the case of the brillliant Revival, Rx and Stay Asleep. Where on the last mentioned anostalgic ballad alters into the wall of sound, from which it is uneasy to escape..
The noticeable difference between the sound of Strange Behavior and Interceptors is a slight change of ambiance. Cold and postpunk wave is more replaced here by the ethereality and shoegazeíing conventions. That live will provide a large dose of noisy experience. Guitar and samples at times of their intensity can resemble epic noise from the gigs of Telescopes or new-born shoegaze sensation - The Lost Rivers.
RATE: 10/10