Loom

Angler (2007)

Ben Sailer

Combining adventurous instrumentation, intense light displays at live shows, and an affinity for angler fish, Salt Lake City's Loom are certainly doing something a little different. Their debut EP, Angler, contains five songs that show a great deal of promise from a band who has been around less than a year.

It's difficult to pin down Loom into any specific genre, but if you were to envision a slightly more contained Fall of Troy mixed with a slightly less gruff Murder by Death, you'd be halfway there. While the band has got some serious chops, they play to the songs rather than show off, and each track on here displays a wonderful sense of dynamics. They're mathy but catchy, and they know how to seamlessly transition from being quietly melodic to completely spastic.

"Sculpt" opens up with some subdued bass and creeping violin before subtle guitars and booming, faintly panicked vocals enter the picture. The violin here isn't reserved for subtle effect either; it's right up front in the mix with the rest of the band. That's the way it should be, because violinist Kim Pack's playing adds a great deal of character to Loom's sound. Her melodies blend well with Mike Cundick's technical, winding guitar and the interplay between the two works well. Aside from main vocalist and light show operator Josh Davenport, four of the five members here pitch in on vocals, and on songs like "Hourglass" and "Tracers," they sound absolutely triumphant.

Angler is an innovative release from a talented if not well-known band that definitely appears to have their shit figured out. It's a winding, labyrinthine listen with fairly linear songwriting that isn't at all predictable. If Loom keeps doing what they're doing, and if they can maintain this level of quality on a full-length album sometime down the road, they should have a bright future ahead of themselves. Definitely a band worth keeping an eye on.