Posted on: December 31, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Moving into their first track “Non Servium” with a generous helping of Radiohead and a brooding style of indie rock, Pattern is Movement start out their disc with a solid-sounding but weak-experimenting first track. The inclusion of strings to counteract the snarky tone of the guitar is a welcome change from banality, but the track still leaves some longing in the hearts of true musical swingers. Lacking a definite bass presence in “I Should Be Leaving”; instead using backwards-masked instruments to further the track, Pattern is Movement attempt a much too subtle idea of repetition to succeed. Instead of hearing a gradation in between each reversed drum clip, we as listeners hear practically the same thing over and over. The rock-influenced opening to “Gunsmith” bodes well for the band, but the furor and energy portended to by the aforementioned opening dissipates as we are thrown into another iteration of the opening track. Of note only is the interplay of fifties-sounding synthesizer lines mixing with a decidedly computer-created set of drum beats.

We are cut back into the harder edge of Pattern is Movement at the end of “Gunsmith”, but the old adage of “too little, too late” holds true. With a vocal assault opening up “Julius”, we are almost left hanging, practically being blue-balled by an extended silence that almost tells the audience that the innovative Bjork and Cake-influenced style will again go to the quite cliché and boring indie rock found a few times throughout the disc. However, “Julius’” strong suit would have to be the differing time signature and bizarre assortment of instruments. Moving into a style of indie rock that we all know quite well, the salvation in “All Things Well” comes in the Wendy Carlos-influenced chorusing of the vocals. “War Interlude” is a non-starter on “The (Im)possibility of Longing”, mucking around instrumentally on matters that are only slightly interesting when lyrics are added ot them.

The bass makes a welcome entrance on the harder, mope-rock track “Albatross”. While the track suffers from over-played guitar riffs that are found time and time again on the disc, the dichotomy of the drum and bass guitar provide something that is innovative to this album. The disc has mucho indie rock that s0ounds nice, but is really nothing more than fluff, intended to satisy only on a musical context. Pattern is Movement would be befitted if they were more apt to spontaneity – this disc just shows them living comfortably in a rut they’ve already made for themselves by “Non Servium”.

Top Tracks: Albaross, Icarus

Rating: 4.1/10

Pattern is Movement – The (Im)possibility of Longing / 2004 Self-Released / 10 Tracks / http://www.patternismovement.com / Reviewed 16 September 2004

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