Friday, August 19, 2016

Null : " Sleepwalking Days"





The album opens with a stomping lumber as fuzz out guitar drones over equally apathetic vocals to create something in Sonic Youth's zip code. By the second song I think I have figured out that this is really depressive garage rock, until the verse breaks down into something closer to post-punk. The guitar builds up into something more burly. I think I like the cleaner guitar tone better.The bass could stand to be up further in the mix. On "Hip Crowd" we are back to a more plodding form of garage rock. The riff is pretty simple and locks into more of drone.

The more subtle phrasing on "Invert" works much better for me. While it sets a good mood, the song is not the most dynamic and pretty much coasts along. This time there is a grunge like throb to the marching drone of "Why Not Sing". I am pretty baffled at why these guys would be called death rock by anyone, yet that tag is what drew me to this album. The vocals back off on "Bow" and this finally creates a feel that draws me in. About four minutes what first seemed like tension and restraint begins to drag a little. It does build up and give you a pay off. This part is cool because it hits that more sonically heavy place.

I'll give this album a 7.5, because these guys did a good job of capturing this sound, but it is like a cat playing with a bug, they could have killed it but just swatted these songs back and forth. If you like droning indie rock with a solemn tone then this album is worth your time.


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