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Argentine
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In Other Fictions
Pehr Records
Release: 9/07/2004
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Rated:
Review by:
Jason Warner
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In preparing to write this review I read a little bit about
Argentine. The descriptions I read were intriguing.
Reportedly, the band's goal was to "create dynamic,
post-pop arrangements - songs of light, hope, darkness, and
fuckedupedness." Well, I don't know about that last one, but
they seemed to hit the rest of their goals, with their debut on
Pehr Records, In Other Fictions. I read a few
reviews of the album in which Argentine was referred to as
derivative of Radiohead… While it could be argued that
Argentine does have a somewhat derivative sound, I have to
say I don't hear much Radiohead. They are much closer to
a cross between one of my favorite bands, Uzi and Ari, and
a Painful era Yo La Tengo. In fact, lead singer,
Ian Carpenter's voice reminds me very much of Ira Kaplan
in his gentler moments with Yo La Tengo. And while certain
of Argentine's influences will definitely be heard, they have
crafted an album that is not quite like any of them. They are
like Low, but more dynamic and less shoe gaze dramatic.
You might hear some Mogwai, but Argentine is less epic…
more song oriented and less experimental. So, yes, they
have influences, but they are their own band.
In Other Fictions is a moving album full of
melancholy and atmospheric textures. The usual guitar +
bass + drums formula is augmented by the addition of viola
and cello on some tracks, as well as some tasteful use of
piano, Hammond organ, and even some accordion. The
guitar tones on the album are beautiful and full, swirling and
taking the listener with them. The production is top notch
and perhaps that is where the Radiohead comparisons come
from. You can really hear all the nuances of the band here,
and they sound good.
The songwriting is the standard post-rock format of a slow
burn to slow build, to crushing climax in a cascading wall of
sound. This formula is old and some listeners may tire of it,
but Argentine still makes it work for me. I was never bored
with the songs, though many of them are very similar. The
melodies are nice, and combined with the lush
instrumentation they form a very comfortable down
comforter for the ears to lay down in and rest.
Standout tracks include "Fresh Inventions," featuring some
nice subtle organ sounds in the background, the title track,
which is a song full of longing, as well as "Slumberside," the
most upbeat of the tracks on In Other Fictions.
However, my one criticism also comes at the end of
"Slumberside." The hand claps sound totally out of place
and contrived. Maybe this was the intention and maybe
Argentine was trying to say something with this, but it is lost
on me. Others may disagree with me, but I thought the
song would have been stronger without the hand claps.
However, this is the only misstep in the entire 39 minutes of
In Other Fictions. All eight tracks are
captivating and creative, and this album has not left my
player in the last two days.
In Other Fictions is a good album. I am
already making phone calls telling my friends about
Argentine. They have big plans for a European tour in the
spring of 2005, presumably with US tour dates to
follow.
And just for the record, Argentine means silver... and none
of the band members have ever been to Argentina. |
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