1x**** Deliberately arty as the title suggests there are many well-executed riffs and moments, such as the spidery and angular line that opens "Fast Canoe", which meanders in and out of lumbering, heavy-handed verses. Similarly plodding "Feather of Forgiveness" makes too dig a deal of the silent spaces in its pounding, half-baked chorus. One song where all the pieces come together accessibly is "In This Life"****, which combines the attitude and melodic lines of Sonic Youth with its deliberate, angular rhythm structure. Another high point is the guitar work in half of the sparse "Monolith", which weaves a jazzy or eastern line that eventually runs into a wall that derails the second half. Other instrumental tracks "Passive Attack" and "The Secret's Secret" explore this eastern flavor, though there they are less artsy. Several songs resemble fast or mid-temps Sonic Youth, but without the expansive sound. Too often the band resorts to parts like the bridge of "High-Wire Moves" and "Taste Of Your Mind" which mistake heavy-handed moves for power.
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