Slothrust : "What They Grow in the Garden"

I am not sure I am as current on all their most recent releases, as it looks like some might have slipped between the cracks. This album, however, finds them returning to a more rock sound after some interesting flirtations with experimental pop. In some ways, it makes me think of Forget Cassettes. The drumming is a little more prog, with weird timing that keeps you guessing. "Smile" finds a Muse-like tension lurking in the song's pulse. Her voice accentuates this well. The chorus is heavier than what you expect from them. Lyrically, there seem to be some intersting lyrical themes regarding mental health. 

The more aggressive rock brooding still laces "Ring the Bell," which has a 90s alternative feel.  It's intersting that they are on Equal Vision this time around, as it was once a hardcore label. There is a more post-hardcore feel to "Twusted Paradise," though her vocals smooth this out. "Hearst Castle" has more of a reggae feel to the guitar, as she narrates a story with a Tom Waits-like cadence. Though not adopt a gravelly vocal tone. Not what I expected from them, but they are known for switching it up dramatically. "00101001" is more of a ballad until the shift in the chorus to a more alt-rock crunch. Once again, you can draw comparisons to Muse here. 

"What a Night" opens with a more atmospheric piano line before it gradually gains momentum. Her voice glides over it in a higher, lighter fashion. Then a burly Muse-like bass line collides with it to bring things to a crescendo for a few measures of this slow burn with moments of release. I like Muse's new album and see them as a prog band packaged for pop, which can also be said of how the band is evolving, though they started with a grungey sound. "Absoulte Power" has a somewhat more roots-blues-based backbone. It remidns me of something you might hear in a New Orleans dive bar. There are several layers of instrumentation sitting at the back of the mix. 

"Keep Us Thirsty" expands and contracts with more rock tension. The drumming on this album is pretty great. "The Lake" is a more typical rocker, though with syncopated interplay. "Dystopian Cemetery" closes the album. It builds like a boozy showtime power ballad. Lyrically, it's pretty intersting. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me. They continue to be ambitious even if they are falling into a more accessible rock side of alternative rather than the grunged-out rock they once were, but such is the nature of growth. 

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