Blonder Tongue Audio Baton
Blonder Tongue Audio Baton keeps attractive melodies and disruptive sounds close together. Swirlies use gentle voices and large guitars but continually change the music's shape. Samples, noise and unexpected transitions make the record less settled than much dream pop. The appeal comes from that combination: recognisable songs remain present but rarely receive an entirely comfortable setting. Their rough surroundings give them character.
Bell establishes the approach immediately. Guitars sound crooked and forceful while a clear melody moves through them. A later tempo change makes the interplay more assertive. The band take a relatively accessible foundation and keep redirecting your attention. Vigilant Always likewise uses the difference between quieter movement and much larger outbursts, preventing its atmosphere from becoming too stable.
Pancake comes closer to conventional pop. Seana Carmody's gentle singing, full guitars and keyboards provide clear points of recognition without smoothing the roughness away. It is a strong centre for a record that sometimes seems determined to move in every direction. Jeremy Parker finds another balance, placing an almost danceable rhythmic movement beneath heavy guitar layers and the exchanges between voices.
The guitars are what hold the whole thing together. Singing often sits lower in the sound, so melody must also emerge from the instruments' interaction. The record consequently feels mobile and loose even when a song moves firmly ahead. Its appeal does not depend on a prominent voice directing every change.
Brief sound fragments can make you feel that you have missed a joke. The interruptions do not all strengthen the songs, and the changing sound sometimes demands considerable attention. Yet it also creates a distinctive character. Blonder Tongue Audio Baton has enough strong melodies and engaging guitar work to make its awkward edges attractive. Its messiness rarely feels purely decorative.
