I will forever have an eye on this band after their timely and glorious Language. Their following effort Clairvoyant was a fair record but has not stuck as deeply with me. Our Bones is the newest material from the American outfit. It consists of three original tracks and a sweet cover of 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins. Its a comforting, warm cover with a sunny and smile inducing vibe, a perfect fit for singer Michael Lessard who sings with a soft sensitivity. Beautiful tribute.
The three originals are lucid and fluid. The songs groove to their own identity as the constrains of an ambitious album concept have been set free. No long and winding atmospheres of crafty progression, or overly complicated concepts. The first two tracks play freely with the dynamics of their heavy metallic aggression and melodic serenity. Bouncing between riffs in simple song structures the creativity emerges in the cracks between and variations that let a little lead guitar move forth and flourish, or a bassline rumble and rise. I especially love the reverberated scream that echos like a chill into the atmosphere of Early Grave. The creativity here feels very natural.
All Grey brings in airy melancholy synths and lush pianos for a delicate and sensitive interlude track that has but a single moment before gently fading out. Its a great bridge to the cover. Although Our Bones is a short thirteen minutes, it makes quite the mark as back to back listens still have me excited. It sounds unlikely that these songs will shape a new direction for their next full length but its shows they are very capable of a different approach to the particular chemistry these artists have forged.
Rating: 5/10