And So I Watch You From Afar - Gangs
Sargent House / Richter Collective (Ireland)
USA Street: 11.08.11
ASIWYFA = Fugazi + Russian Circles + Caspian
You try to start attaching too many sub-genre tags to an original band, and you put a little too much shit with the steak. Let’s be clear, Gangs is huge. Gangs is hypnotic. Gangs is breathtaking. A monolithic juggernaut pieced together between festival appearances, it’s a dualistic record, the genius of which lies in its ability to occupy two spheres: hard to place and instantly enjoyable. Indie, metal, electronic, dub and anything with a “post” prefix comes to mind, but it’s best not to get bogged down in all that blogger nonsense. Circuitous riffing, bombastic rhythms and the occasional choral detour coalesce into one rockin’ slab of cerebral aggression. Don’t misunderstand me, this ain’t sludge and it never crawls. Hyperfast on its feet, incorporating erratic blends of African percussion and Asian ambiance, constantly flitting between massive and more massive, never sacrificing melody or texture, it’s a document of belligerent beauty from one of this era’s pre-eminent instrumental trios. –Dylan Chadwick
