“Mediocre Love” and “Is It So Much to Adore?” hypnotically churn with startling rhythms, while “Loam” and “Fame” are more inspired takes on the Cure’s latter-day metallurgy.īalance and Composure are a far more flexible band than they were on The Things We Think We’re Missing, which had one move: repeatedly slamming the listener into Will Yip’s brickwalled production. More importantly, they underscore the incremental progress of his matured perspective. Simmons still strains to make even the most worn metaphors for physical desire, but B&C manage to create a number of distinct spaces where social anxiety and self-loathing can be tempered with well-meaning amorousness.
Simmons gets occasionally chopped, screwed, and Auto-Tuned, texturing vocals that can often lack a personal watermark.
Aside from a few drum triggers, synth-bass fuzz, and additions to the pedal board, Balance and Composure could play these songs live with their 2013 setup. Think the late ’90s, maybe half of Amnesiac: a man-machine interface both tech-savvy and tech-wary, while still maintaining the look, feel, and perspective of their angstier early days.Īnd so, Light We Made isn’t a total rebuild. But for a lot of listeners, a certain era of Radiohead still represents the zenith of alternative rock. “Postcard” is virtually unrecognizable as Balance and Composure it bears more than a passing similarity to Radiohead’s “I Might Be Wrong.” This being 2016 and not 2001, ambitious, young rock bands aren’t really using Radiohead as their North Star (at least not publicly). Compared to “Reflection,” a steamroller that foretold the direction The Things We Think, “Postcard” might as well be a Prius: efficient, stylish, aimed at a more mature consumer. Jon Simmons’ vocals are cloaked and conversational rather than a charred howl. Lead single “Postcard” was a surprisingly demure teaser that nonetheless felt like a big reveal, going against just about every formidable strength Balance and Composure had previously established: the riffs here are clean and hypnotic, where before they would bludgeon you into submission. If you couldn’t tell where Balance and Composure’s ambitions lie with Light We Made, just know this: they’re labelmates with the 1975 now.īut true to form, their advancement is one that adheres to old school alt-rock ideals.
It’s easy to figure which bands view this space as a final destination and those who are trying to find a bridge towards the mainstream. Though alternative rock can no longer claim a nation, bands like B&C thrive in a sizable Twitter, Tumblr, and message board underground, where Nirvana is classic rock, Brand New is modern canon, and Neutral Milk Hotel is still a mandatory rite of passage.
0 kommentar(er)
