|
|
|
BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About
LOTD
|
Good Lord
Giveth: The Many Varied Shades EP
On their E.P. The Many Varied Good Lord Giveth puts together five tracks of rolling, tense instrumental post-rock. On the surface, there isnt much to distinguish The Many Varied from other instrumental post-rockings; in fact Good Lord Giveth initially sounds like nothing more than the quiet segments of the loud/soft style exemplified by early Mogwai. But go beyond an initial listen, and some really rewarding explorative details can be found in the mix. The second track of the track of the EP, Fugue, which true to its title comes off as a development of the track that precedes it, is a perfect example of the complexity beneath the surface of these tracks. A quiet, tense guitar motif, seemingly full of thematic movement, makes up this brief track. Throughout, the band plays with interesting harmonies and slight variations on the original theme, all of it feeling as though they are building to some sort of bombastic finale that never actually comes. This is of course nothing new, but what makes these tracks so fresh and inventive is all the strange sonic embellishments that weave in and out of the basic composition. Several are from unidentifiable sources, and these little oddities are placed throughout the songs thoughtfully and provocatively enough to really add something to the emotional progression of the pieces, rather than seeming forced or contrived. In fact, all of these tracks remain engaging and accessible despite conforming to the instrumental post rock mold in the most obvious ways. Considering that many of the innovations in these tracks could have easily been added with less skill and attention to detail and come off instead as just affected filler, it is noteworthy that they instead show how attentively composed these songs are. Indeed, my only complaint with this release is the length of both the individual tracks and the EP itself. Only one of these pieces is over three minutes in length, while the other four hover around two. Surely the ideas in these pieces could have been explored further, and I am left wanting to hear much more of this material - which really isnt a bad thing for an initial release. If Good Lord Giveth can continue to develop their sound in new and interesting ways and really follow through on some of their musical ideas, I wouldnt be surprised to see a really good album evolve from this material.
About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
