ALBUM REVIEWS
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ALBUM REVIEWS |
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Grammatics
GRAMMATICS DANCE TO THE RADIO 23.3.09 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk
Slowly ringing guitar tells me this either takes itself very seriously or is a spaghetti western soundtrack. It rapidly resolves to the former with tight chiming and graph-paper arrangements alongside a choirboy vocal. Hitting the nexus point of indie, maths rock and art-rock, this is an intense affair. Produced for effect rather than radio play, the sound is complex but has enough air in it to hear what everyone is doing – it’s not a compressed-up indie shoutalong. Strings are textured and rub the back bone, drums punch and the bass carries a proper tune. Adding a cellist to the mix has given texture to the music that really adds depth. There’s no surprise that this is on Forward Russia’s Dance To The Radio label, coming from the same sonic stable (the surprise to me is always that DTTR host The Pigeon Defectives….). Last time I saw them, supporting Futureheads, Grammatics were impressively drilled if slightly austere. The Grammatics are tightly wound performers, both live and here, twitching nervously and over-reacting. The sound of the album is one of caffeine-fuelled emotions blustering oftimes into wind and fire. It has pretensions of greatness – and why not aim high? After a couple of plays the tunes began to engrave themselves on the grooves of my brain, highlighting the contrast here – this kind of clever stuff isn’t normally known for being catchy. It is telling that Grammatics are part of the remnants of Emo band Colour Of Fire; lyrics run to the personal and obsessively detailed. Owen Brinley has a lot on his mind but I find myself failing to follow his train of thought, hooking instead onto the swagger and attack of the musical thrust, which is tighter than a sparrow’s bumhole and as wide as an albatross on cinemascope. The big thing here is the arrangements and the ability to jump from a feedback howl or a thundering guitar slab to a quiet moment or a bit of piano and a deep thought. There are people who invent new sounds, few and far between, and people who polish or perfect or adapt those of others. The Grammatics seem to have reached a shiny new peak for this particular amalgam of sound and consistent exposure to it could win the radio audience round. There is something here of the early stages of mega-stardom – arty credentials allied with the ability to play tunes – popular music you’re not ashamed to listen to. A genuinely exciting debut. www.grammatics.co.uk |
