posted 10/02/2008 (Thu) @ 08:00 am
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Watersigns - Watersigns (2007) [FREE MUSIC]
Rock / Instrumental / Technical
Headwires
- Terminals
- Animadversion
- Ness
- Shadows
Although the guitar is the undeniable focus of this brief but masterful first release from San Jose, California prog troupe Watersigns, mathy rhythms and instrumental synergy underscore their first four forays into your ear.
“Terminals,” the first and probably the best track of the bunch, steers through choppy waters with muscular beauty; the guitar occasionally wanders off into a tangential, serpentine riff or lick, but rejoins the band for each of the tune’s many crank-ups and slowdowns, like taking a long, deep breath.
“Animadversion” splatters the speakers with a desperate mess of chording, but shows restraint with scissor stabs of guitar set against panicked percussion, and later, gooey scale-based riffage.
“Ness” intersperses hammery, clean guitarwork with heaving blasts of distortion, and “Shadows” (the longest track at 6:38) sees the band employing reverse delay and a quieter, more contemplative, jammy ambiance, building and building in intensity until the parts are yowling with overdrive.
Although they claim to have someone up in the crow’s nest looking for a singer, Watersigns don’t need it. Their angular majesty delivers on the expectations of listeners who demand some measure of metamorphosis in their musical listening experience. Still, the “hole” left for absent vocals is evidenced by the way these songs tend to repeat their admittedly complicated movements more than once or twice. This gesture to fans of more conventional pop format does not go unnoticed. Having the framework upon which to hang their time signatures and math-rock indulgences is a welcome facet, but the repetition may bother some.
If you like this, you may also enjoy selected works from Volta Do Mar, Bolt, or even King Crimson (if you haven’t bothered to time travel back to the ’70s yet).
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Tags: experimental, free music, hard rock, instrumental, math rock, prog
