Silly Post-rock (Oxymoron?)
After ten to fifteen years, post-rock/metal has now entered its golden age and really struck a chord (I thought it was clever) with the underground music community. Everyday, it seems, there is another instrumental collective championing textured atmospherics, dynamic swells, and emotional profundity. The Portuguese quintet The Allstar Project (TAP) is one such ensemble. Their first full-length, Your Reward… A Bullet, is making its US debut in April. Like many debuts, YR...AB is a mixed bag.
I will start off by saying this is one of the most “fun” albums I’ve listened to in recent memory. In a genre where the goal is to capture intense emotions, self-indulgence and over-ambition are common traps. TAP recognizes this danger and makes the album entertaining by poking fun at it; it sends the message, “We play straight-up post-rock with a pop sensibility, and we don’t have any delusions to the contrary.” The jokingly arrogant name of the band is overt evidence, but it goes beyond that. The goofily titled “Lasers Through Monkeys” superimposes an aimless monologue over a traditional post-rock structure. Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s spoken-word is haunting, but here the goofy juxtaposition is quaintly moving. The closer, “For A Friend,” satires the classic post-rock buildup with a NASA countdown whose “Liftoff!” correlates with a climactic climbing melody.
The lack of electronics and use of guitars replaces post-rock’s characteristic etherealism with a grounded up-beat drive reminiscent of Pelican’s The Fire in Our Throats…, and further serves to combat pretentiousness. The album flows well, and the songs never outstay their welcome with only “Yehudi Lights” climbing past the seven minute mark. There is not a slow or weak point on this album. That’s a rare compliment.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a strong one either. While listening, the album is enjoyable, but afterwards I can’t say it’s particularly memorable. The double edge of TAP’s forthright nature is a lack of ambition/risk-taking. I’d heard it all before. Sure they’re not bashful about their influences, but I didn’t feel TAP has taken those influences and carved out their own sound. Instead, I noticed that this section sounds like Don Caballero and this one like Explosions in the Sky. “V5” is reminiscent of Mogwai, and I’ve already referenced Pelican and GY!BE earlier.
Don’t get me wrong, YR...AB is a good album. If not visionary, I will repeat that it is more consistently entertaining than anything I’ve heard in a while. If you’re a post-rock junky or just looking for a light listen to kick back to, this is an excellent choice. Isolated from historical context, I’d hail it a masterpiece. For a debut, I’m actually pretty impressed. TAP has demonstrated an ability to write catchy, well thought-out compositions that most bands don’t develop until their third album. It’s common for a band to struggle with creating a unique sound on their first album, especially in a genre as overcrowded as post-rock. So I have high hopes for TAP and salute Your Reward… A Bullet as an admirable first effort.
| Reviewer: Bernard Koch Added: February 24th 2008 |
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