Artist: Trash Gendar
Review by Jessi Roti – @JessiTaylorRO
Album: Mass Canon
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/trashgendarband
http://trashgendar.bandcamp.com/album/mass-canon
Brooklyn-based Trash Gendar describes
its debut EP, Mass Canon, as “a freefall into the murky depths of
musical, sci-fi odyssey.” That’s dead-on. Sonically, elements of
folk, bluegrass, indie rock, and electronica blend together to make a
surprising, eerily haunting, but totally enjoyable experience.
The EP unfolds with a slightly
vaudeville “Inimitable Touch: Circus Horrificus,” which sounds
just as it’s titled. The trippy folk turns into rushing indie rock,
with a down-home feel that’s inexplicable for a band hailing from
the east coast. Entering the fun house, “Horrificus” may lead you
to run to the emergency exit, but you’ll feel relieved when you
don’t ever find it.
“Transmission 1.1013” and “Tunnels”
reflect a Dirty Projectors-like exploration into minimalism.
Thematically-arranged, “Tunnels” seems to be the turning point in
Trash Gendar’s journey. A poignant reflection, it features the
line, “You are so dangerous. And I am not dangerous, but I wish I
was.”
A second “Inimitable Touch,” this
one titled, “Moss Canyon,” boasts the abstract chant, “Sleep
again. Pull back your arms and spill your heart” amidst other
incantations shrouded in foggy distortion.
But realization is reached in “And
Then 30k Years Happened/Desperation Seagull,” the most raw and
rocking song on the EP. It’s the epic climax, the part of the
odyssey where our hero(es) are changed. This notion of being “free”
is exemplified by the rush of the acoustic guitar against the
expansive drone of the electric and the pounding of the drums.
Trash Gendar’s ambition seems
satiated at the EP’s closer, “Spin.” Earnest and poignant, it’s
a slow-burn, like crackling embers. It’s sexy and confident, but in
an understated, almost vulnerable way. The listener’s “odyssey”
with Trash Gendar ends, but really it’s just beginning.
Mass Canon is ambitious for a debut,
sure. It’s abstract and maybe buried underneath too many metaphors,
sure. But its complexities are exciting, rather than being so simple
it verges on boring. If you listen, there’s a story worth being
told. You just have to be willing to enjoy the ride.
