The Deepsea Goes

Oraoneiroi (2009)

Brian Shultz

The first song on the Deepsea Goes' Oraoneiroi, it kinda sounds like the band is providing a more obscure alternative to Pissed Jeans. There are the snotty, bellowed vocals that sound practically identical to Matt Korvette; heavy-sounding, fuzzed-out guitars and bass; and a patch of groaning droning, characteristics of which are packaged in a noticeably tidy time (as are plenty of Oraoneiroi's tracks in general). But as the album progresses, the Deepsea Goes provide plenty of more unique ideas and edges for their own ragged, noisy sound.

"There Is No Space" and "There Is No Elevator" tamper with bending, Wire-esque riffs, a sharp post-punk stomp that blithers and blathers in noisy, ever-changing guitars. The artier SST stuff paints some tracks on here, as does plenty of late '80s Sonic Youth. More chiming-esque sounds and complicated atmospheres infect the instrumental and curious "There Is No Stop," with what sounds like a cymbal-heavy drum loop in the background, before a quick halt brings some screeching feedback, and then a transition back into the song's earlier, ominous groove complemented by a crescendo of static and noisy guitar fiddling. All of it segues cleanly into "There Is No Start," which comes packaged with a lively tempo and energy. Hummable patterns of cacophony cluster together in "There Is No Light," a near-psychedelic collision that moves along steadily before their vocalist's distinct, agitated snarl comes back into play. The keyboards in "There Is No End" are a bit Vincent Price-ish, adding an un(?)intentionally cheesy flavor to things just a bit, but it doesn't really damage the album at all.

An unexpectedly cool album that takes a lot of interesting chances and largely seems to work.

STREAM
There Is No Space
There Is No Home
There Is No Start
There Is No Light