Three Trapped Tigers - Route One Or Die (Blood & Biscuits)
4/5
By: Stephen Maughan
Three Trapped Tigers consist of three extremely talented musicians - Tom, Matt, and Adam. Friendly enough names for guys who came up with their band name not out of some sense of deep injustice at the travelling circus in town, but named after the Guillermo Infante's 1965 hazy novel about a man lost in the Havana Cabaret society, separated from both his country and youth. The book's one of those lost classics, rich in both texture and language, decidedly experimental with some of the imagery close to poetry.
I mention all this not to sound intellectual, but because you might as well say the same thing about Route One Or Die. What makes Three Trapped Tigers such an intriguing proposition is not just the wildly hypnotising music, but the fact they succeed in making math-rock (yes, we’ll use that term for the sake of ease – hope that’s OK) both fun and accessible.
For those of you who have been lucky enough to catch their dazzling live shows, or picked up one of their EPs, what you can expect is a development on more of the same. For the rest of us, get ready for eight fresh, densely packed and surprisingly funky (oh yes) songs. Route One Or Die is powerful and energetic music with the mindset of heavy metal and the heart of Mozart, an antidote to surviving with Adele at #1 in the charts for months on end. These are eight songs which are beautifully composed - the drumming is crisp and clear, the guitars swirling, and the keyboards and piano swoon seductively throughout.
Squarepusher, Aphex Twin, Mogwai... these are the kind of names Three Trapped Tigers have been compared with, but Route One Or Die puts them in their own league. Creating musical soundscapes and textures that sound beautiful at the same time as unnerving is something many pale imitators of Brian Eno have flooded the marketplace with, but this bunch not only bring exactly that, but a record that whether you want to call it math, space or post-rock, is sharp, clever and fresh. Who knew this much noise could sound so well thought out and gorgeous?
Artists in this article: Three Trapped Tigers
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