Abrams : "Blue City"

 

I really dug the Denver-based band's 2022 album. I looked forward to this one's release, but it slipped under the radar.  This time around there is a heavier more grunge-tinged aggression that sometimes reminds me of Filter and makes me think of Soundgarden. The big guitar sound swirls around the songs. They are big and anthemic in their attack with nuanced verses that groove while leaving enough room for the vocals to howl and croon around.  It's when they reach the balance of melody, groove, and dynamics that the band really shines which is heard on "Etherol" which sounds like a long-lost classic from the 90s. It is the kind of song that proves what they are capable and the rest of this album is going to be weighed against. 

They get this place on the more shadowy and introspect 'Lungfish" whose melancholy rings true. The vocals begin to step into their place center stage, allowing the guitars to play a less riffy role until we get to the chorus of "Wasting Time". They still manage to conjure a hypnotic throb. The dynamic are familiar as it falls somewhere between Failure and Tool.  But the less proggy pretentious days of Tool and the more brooding side heard on "Undertow". Unlike Tool the vocals are tightly harmonized. There is more of a stoned fuzzed-out vibe to the rock n roll grooves of "Death Om". It's not a straight-up boogie-down shuffle, but looks longingly in that direction. The syncopated creep of "Turn it Off " is back to a more grunged out sound, but focuses more on the guitar than the vocals. 

The vocals should always be the focal point, and when they create space on a song like "Narc" it really plays to their strength as a band. This is also a more atmospheric and progressive place so my personal tastes might reflect the preference. Their pendulum swings back in a more rock direction for "Crack Aunt" the vocals just coast over the winding riffs. Then it swings back in a direction that best serves who they are as a band on the title track. It has all the dynamics and melody you might want from these guys, I will give this one a 9.5, and see how it grows on me, This album is an improvement over their last album as their songwriting hones in on the sounds that are most effective for them as a band. 

pst354