This band is a duo from San Francisco and they describe their music as a “unique blend of hammering ambiance and dark rhythms.” Yes I was not too sure what to make of that and after giving it a spin was not particularly any clearer about things at all. Another reviewer on the one sheet mentioned this debut EP as being progressive and having ‘flirtations with extreme metal’ which is a very good way of putting things. The Two Tongues EP is of a more experimental nature than clearly defined but on further plays things were beginning to sink in for me.
This is very guitar driven and as ‘No Visible Help (Hold Tight) tightly strums in I have the urge to label this post hardcore. Patrick Brown who does everything here minus the drums has a voice that alongside the music has me thinking of Fugazi. Yep I know they are a band that everyone loves to name-drop in reviews but this does have a feel of them circa Red Medicine era. This is no bad thing as they have the chops and the melody to pull it off and once the songs sink teeth in they are tenacious bastards that do not let go. The songs are in no real rush and uncoil over time with the guitar structures really defining them, sometimes even giving a grunge feel and namedropping bands as diverse as Mudhoney to The Pixies. At full velocity which ‘Forging On Two Tongues / A Reckoning’ hits with frantic guitars and bellowing vocals one almost gets a hint of Today Is The Day going on here, this is the sort of band I would not be surprised to see the words ‘produced by Steve Austin’ on their debut album.
Things calm down a bit with ‘Right Over To The Helm’ which meanders away with spoken and clean Bowiesque vocals lulling you in. before the jagged guitars cut in and a heavy muscle flexing mindset takes over and noodles all over the place even throwing in some doom laden retro keyboard parts before finally petering out. Final track ‘Lullaby’ has a slow heavy bass sound and a dreamy feel as the title suggests and ends things off in a calming fashion in a post storm kind of way. All in all whatever way this is described it is a good solid EP with the foundations for a full length built behind it, will be interested to hear what comes next from this band.
http://www.trillionred.com
Pete Woods
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