This is a rather curious release, although I should state from the outset that this is bY no means a criticism. The cover, which resembles some William Morris wallpaper gives nothing away, but the heavyweight vinyl pressing bodes well, and the two bands on this split twelve-inch each deliver something different, both from the norm and from one another.
Maybeshewill, who contribute the confusingly titled 'This Time Last Year' and 'Last Time This Year' aren’t big on vocals or verse/chorus structures, but they are definitely big on sound. 'This Time' launches in with some grungy driving guitars, and it really kicks, and closes with some equally monster riffage. In between, it veers off in all sorts of unexpected directions. 'Last Time' begins with some more gentle electronica, before guitars build majestically, to be replaced by stuttering metal-edged riffing, before moving to something gentler, and some classic shoegaze to fade. It's surprising and inventive genre-defying stuff, and repeated listening reveals hidden facets in this duo of most unusual and interesting tracks.
Her Name is Calla's 'Condor and River' fills the flipside, and is as contrasting as it is complimentary to Maybeshewill's tracks. Originally released as an ultra-limited CD-R, it’s a truly sweeping epic that clocks in at not much under 20 minutes, which is one side of an LP by most standards. But there's not a second squandered, and with nuances and depths of reverb not so noticeable on the CD embedded in the grooves of the vinyl, it's a most rewarding listen. Whereas most so-called post-rock bands formulaically build to a closing crescendo, Her Name is Calla set themselves apart from the pack, and 'Condor and River' builds to a gargantuan crescendo around the five-minute mark, before top-endy guitars and buried screams give way to gentle piano chords... and then the vocals begin. There’s another, less pronounced crescendo toward the end, before once again the metronomic drums and strolling bass fade to a lone, echoed piano note that hangs for an infinity. Not so much a song as a journey, and a magical one at that.
|
|
