The Bell brothers’ sophomore LP amply delivers.
Apart from having the coolest intentionally misspelled band name since … I dunno, Megadeth? … Lymbyc Systym – the Arizona-raised, Brooklyn-residing Jared and Michael Bell – stand out from the instrumental/post-rock crowd by being more keyboard-based and unashamedly delicate in their compositional approach. Their debut album, 2007’s Love Your Abuser, was full of lovely, twinkling moments that had little in common with ‘quiet-loud’ dynamics, while 2009’s Field Studies – a split 12-inch EP with mighty Texans This Will Destroy You – showcased the brothers’ growing melodic confidence. Produced by Jeff Zeigler and mixed by Modest Mouse/Explosions In The Sky engineer John Congleton, LS’s second full-length Shutter Release reveals itself to be their most cohesive outing to date. The first two songs easily rank as the siblings’ finest moments: Trichromatic, with its rumbling drums, fuzzy bass and twanging refrain, is by far the rockiest thing the Bells have recorded, while lead single Ghost Clock is unusual in featuring a very Interpol-like rhythm guitar line – and all the better for it. There’s also the serene, brass-led Kubrick – possibly related to Mogwai’s tribute to the great director. The rest kicks off strongly with the energetic, math-rock-leaning Contemporary Art and T-Ball, but saves the best for last. A hands-down beauty, Late Night Classic is right up there with the best genre instrumentals, blending an understated acoustic guitar progression, woozy synths and a false coda (replete with a brief AM radio sample) with a gently haunting, narrated outro. This way for bona fide bedroom anthems. - Rave Magazine |
