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keeper avg .250
This Book Of Knots' first concept record is populated by songs with a nautical theme. Several songs are reminiscent of Soundgarden, owing to Mattias Bossi's Cornell-like howl, a grunge-y drone, and uber-percussion: opener "Scow", "Crumble", "Boston To Bombay", "Pearl Harbor". On the noise-drenched "Tugboat"****, with lead vocal by Carla Kihlstedt, though the backing instrumentation has a similar vibe, her "Assistance" is more of a discordant jingle. The somewhat monotonous "Back On Dry Land", featuring John Langford, has a Police "Invisible Sun" or "Wrapped Around Your Finger" new wave feel. Other songs just don't cohere, such as the mostly instrumental "40 Degrees" and Megan Reilly's ethereal "Frank's Funeral." The end of the album, however, is particularly strong, starting with John Langford's wry spoken-word "Captain's Cup", like the grizzled Tom Waits muttering in a seaside bar. "Hook"**** is the strongest of the Soundgarden sound-alikes; Kihlstedt's vocal plays well against the most Soundgarden-y guitar riff ever, while the work crew's bellows calls to guitar noise responses. The creepy closer "Fastenings" evokes a specter obsessing its dying thought.
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