Past Lives are a quartet from Seattle comprised of ex-members from bands such as the Blood Brothers, Shoplifting and Chromatics. Though I’m not all too fond of Chromatics, I would consider myself a member of Past Lives’ target audience. I loved both bands, I’ve been listening to the Blood Brothers for a few years and I consider Shoplifting’s Body Stories one of the most underrated albums of the past decade. Did Past Lives’ debut album Tapestry of Webs meet up to my expectations? Aaaaaaalmost.
If you’ve heard their previous EP Strange Symmetry, this may not be very surprising to you. Past Lives aren’t exactly a photocopied reincarnation of Blood Brothers: they’re a bit more reserved, less cacophony and more melodic complexity. That’s not to say that Past Lives have certain musical restrictions and can’t surpass boundaries. Tapestry of Webs makes it apparent that they obviously have the ability to maintain chaotic tendencies but they just choose not to be too self-indulgent.
The opener “Paralyzer” works perfectly. A constant drumstick-tapping rhythm, Jordan Blilie singing the oh-so-catchy lyric “She cannot ignore it,” and a rewarding crescendo to put the cherry on the sundae. Afterwards, “Falling Spikes” uses the dissonant-yet-memorable pop sensibilities from Shoplifting along with—is that a saxophone? Perfect! “Deep in the Valley” seems a bit misplaced on the album, however. It doesn’t build into noise or have all that great of a melody either; it’s almost as if it tries to calm down the listener. I don’t see the point in doing that though, because we immediately revisit the energetic saxophone skronk on “K Hole.”
The no-wave essence doesn’t try to take over their sound. There are times when Past Lives will write pop songs like “Vanishing Twin” that may sound a little radio-friendly. I even forgot to mention that there are backup “ooh la la la”s on “Don’t Let the Ashes Fill Your Eyes.” Even though they may sound a bit tame, they’re still well written songs. The album lulls towards the end, and finishes by making use of its brass arrangements on the closer “There Is A Light So Bright It Blinds.” All in all, Past Lives’ Tapestry of Webs takes the best elements out of the members’ previous bands and makes an album with a distinct sound. Whether you’re a fan of Blood Brothers, Shoplifting or Chromatics, Past Lives succeed in keeping their fan-base from separating.
This has me interested...
ReplyDelete