Rings - Black Habit (Paw Tracks)
4/5
By: Charlie Potter
I don't think there is a single person who would not want to release something on the comfortable sea bed of reverb that is the Animal Collective's friends & family label Paw Tracks, so cosy that some very important releases have almost gone under the radar due to being released on such a small label. The last Black Dice album Load Blown being a perfect example, not to mention Here Comes The Indian' (one of the best Animal Collective albums released to date - sorely overlooked), but perhaps with Black Habit and Load Blown both being massively important releases - and mark my words, this is an important release - maybe that is all about to change.
I don't know if I can offer a more accurate description of this album than the band's own - 'circular patchworked tranced feminist compositions'. Personally I find it almost impossible to resist the bait of macho patronising any women who use the word feminist, but the rest of this quote from Rings themselves is pretty accurate, which apart from being lazy journalism on my part is a very good sign - if a band can take a step back and offer up such a well thought out sound bite for the own music this not only suggests they do think about what they do, but also that they think about music on a wider scale. And sure enough, this sounds like the result of taking a good step back from common musical scenery to decide what sort of sound they want to make and what sort of aesthetic they want to create. There are very obvious Animal Collective comparisons, but this is very original music - I might even go as far as saying that Rings have shown themselves to be more edgy than Animal Collective.
Cyclic is definitely a very appropriate word for the tracks on Black Habit. The songs not only have a sort of cyclic rhythm but they seem to start everywhere and go everywhere else. There is no sort of linear progression, there are just quite good bits and very good bits that seem to lap over the top of each other. There are a great number of instruments and tones utilised in layering up these pieces, the most notable being piano, which is relatively hidden but undoubtedly central to this music, somehow doubling up as rhythm and ambiance whilst sneakily filling the gaps with melody.
The melody is really what grabs you here though, along with the generally ambient layering of activity in the background. It all sucks you in to the cycle. I worry that somehow the language I am using gives the impression that the way they have achieved this has somehow been simple and conventionally divisive, and I in no way begrudge bands that used simple tricks to hypnotise, (Saw a Halo by Mouthus is a brilliant example of an album that uses well known tricks to absorb you into the album to great effect) but this is a little harder to put your finger on, an effect that could only be achieved with passion and patience.
This is another one of those releases of which I love every tiny inch of. The music, the artwork, the words... ahhhh. Well maybe there are a few less than brilliant lyrics here and there, but when I say some less than brilliant lyrics, that is what I mean - not necessarily terrible. This really is something worth being able to hold in your hands just so you can pour your love into this object. Take care of it, for it will take care of you.
Artists in this article: Rings
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