Growing: All The Way (The Social Registry CD/LP/digital)
The last time I really heard this psyche-experimental act, it was on their second album, The Soul Of The Rainbow And The Harmony Of Light, which consisted of four looooong drone tracks, all color and atmosphere but shapeless. It shimmered with energy and a radiance, but it was an end to a means -- it was what it was and that was that. Fast-forward to four years later, and a lot has changed.
The duo of Joe Denardo and Kevin Doria still rely on bass and guitar as their respective axes of choice, but the tone is All The Way is considerably livelier and lighter than the wall of sound that characterized their older material. The running theme on these 6 tracks (plus one live version) is tremolo, with guitar patterns on delays cutting in and out of the mix. Often times the start-stop rhythm as defined by these effects serves as the rhythm section of the track, with no traditional drums or programming to speak of.
"Green Flag" kicks things off with a jaunty guitar-as-bass loop, layered with fluttering, light chords and odd, froggy sounds that gurgle overhead. But if "Green Flag" is a lighter, catchier opening, "Wrong Ride" veers into more dreamlike territory, with a persistent in/out tremolo on all of its guitar sounds (with one notable exception of a solitary droning tone underneath). Just as it begins to feel repetitious, the signal blows horizontally outward into something far more spectral and radiant. It's a refreshing change of pace from the extended exercises of their older material, because here the duo seems acutely aware of when a sound or pattern has overstayed its welcome; just as it starts to feel static, something changes. "Rave Pie Only" is the centerpiece of the album (and the band apparently agrees; it appears again as a live add-on), a swirling psyche-fest that makes brilliant use of flanged guitar distortion as a simulated kick drum, pounding at a good clip for the duration of the song as weird squiggles of glee cascade from above. "Innit" is the joyous counterpart of the opening track, mostly built around a droning, syncopated pattern and airy, light chords over it. "Lens Around" and "Reconstruction" finish out the original material with variations on the style, again making use of unusual effects and guitar phrases to create rhythmic structures without drumming. However, the bonus live version of "Rave Pie Only" is a good example of where they take things as more of a band; with a full-on drum kit, the song is significantly more obvious and aggressive, but no less fun. If anything, it's a sort of last, excessive hurrah as the rather short album wraps up.
It's an interesting idea, piecing together tracks using guitars as a means for everything. It's something I would have assumed I'd already heard, but I'm at a loss for anything all that comparable, as the duo appear to have struck gold in their own distinct way. All The Way is an effective fusion of pop and abstract psychedelia, all swirl and shimmer but with an approachability that tames it, makes it as warm and inviting as it is exciting.
mp3: Innit
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