What little I heard from
The Phones I presented here about five years ago, namely an
ep of outtakes. This, the Minneapolis quartet's second proper album may as well be the work of a wholly different combo, and I'm not really complaining. Seemingly having nothing in common with Mpls "big three" (Husker Du, Replacements and Soul Asylum) aim from a rhythmically-informed wavelength without bearing the tired cliches of so much ubiquitous, dancy new wave that permeated their era. They don't futz with keyboards at all in fact, and opt to intermittently rely on saxophone a la the Psychedelic Furs instead. The serrated, staccato guitar lines on the opening "Waiting on Patience" are a delight, but the band's sophistication and finesse is more evident on side two, housing the pulsating title cut and "Angel of Money's" challenging guitar fills, gracefully incorporating some winsome post-punk angularities. The overarching effect of the Phones vibe here is not unlike what Japan might have conjured up if they ditched David Sylvian and swapped him out for Peter Murphy. An interesting and affecting record delivering some choice sonic maneuvers when the band is at it's most inspired.
01. Waiting on Patience
02. Daylight
03. Civilization
04. Kiss the Earth
05. Blind Impulse
06. Rain
07. Besides the Facts
08. Angel of Money
09. Don't Take It
10. Chainsaw
Hear
1 comment:
Very cool, thanks for sharing!
Post a Comment