If there were ever a middleman between the guitar and laptop-driven lushness of
Daniel Anderson
and counterpart
Michael Harris
' righteous
post-hardcore
shriek, well,
Idiot Pilot
must have let him go.
Strange We Should Meet Here
, the Washington duo's
Reprise
debut, aligns these disparate elements for a sound that's jarring, interesting, frustrating, and ambitious.
"Open Register"
's programmed rhythm skitters beneath enormous reverb vocals and a drippy, almost
synth pop
melody, but the beauty's exploded by
Harris
' scream of "WE'RE TRYING TO HELP YOU!" He sounds exasperated and angry, like a panicky air traveler or an overwhelmed crossing guard. He also takes you right out of an otherwise gorgeous song. Maybe that's
's intent, to grow the ugly blossom. But its frequency of use makes the scream lose its teeth. There's
screeching in the background of
"Moerae (The Locust)"
-- the rest of the time it's effective indie
electronica
driven by a shuffling drum track and atmospheric piano chords. And the rich, head cold quality of
"Lucid"
's
electronics
is after
"Militance Prom,"
which -- with its bundle of rapping,
Radiohead
, and more yelling -- borders on
novelty
. There's definitely promise in
's music, especially for fans of electronically driven groups like
Postal Service
or even screwy hybridists
Whirlwind Heat
.
"Nightlife"
builds from a treated guitar emulating 1950s teen balladry to a tangle of splotchy beats, and
' high-volume proclamations work because he's integrated into the song's tense chorus.
"To Buy a Gun"
is also strong -- the addition of conventional power chords really agitates things, and like a robot built to rock out, that emphasizes its underlying blips and
. But despite its bold setup,
can't ultimately find a true and unique direction. ~ Johnny Loftus