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Rating: I continue my activity as a listener of unknown music by highlighting an American band: the Peña.
The Peña are an unusual group for various reasons. First, they are a completely instrumental group, second, the drummer comes first in their lineup, and then the rest. Indeed, from the website: Micheal Scarano (drums), Nick Sullivan (bass), Aaron Ray (guitar). The Denver group debuted in 2005 with this practically self-produced album. They did not succeed, except in the city.
Their sound is based on "melodic repetition, progressive builds, schizophrenic transitions and the occasional crushing wall of noise". Not bad! Well, all that's left is to listen to the album ("Human Circuits").
The first song, or rather, composition is "First / Outer / Inner / Last," a long piece that does not betray the description they propose of their art: Scarano’s drums only serve to support the melodic repetitions of Aaron Ray, who often seems to want to play like Tom Verlaine in "Marquee Moon," or simply to retrace his epic feats. In the first composition, he succeeds quite well, better than in the subsequent ones.
"First / Outer / Inner / Last" is a varied piece, despite the repetitions. Though it develops over six and a half minutes, there is never a desire to skip forward, especially past the third minute, after which Ray's guitar produces an excellent melody.
"Nordale" begins with the ticking of a clock, then flows into what can already be outlined as the group's usual scheme: Scarano and Ray produce it by inventing the melody, and Sullivan follows them. The compositions may seem very similar; after all, the lack of an overpowering voice is felt, but if it must be instrumental music, so be it. "Nordale," like the previous one, is based on repetitions almost akin to the Math-rock of Caballero, then varies and grows from 2:00; Ray's guitar leaves the repetition and becomes very powerful and pleasant. From 4:00, another interesting upheaval changes tempo and melody. "Himalayan" begins with Sullivan's bass, soon overlapped by Ray's guitar, followed by Scarano. It's immediately clear the track will be particularly long. And so it is: ten and a half minutes. The composition seems to be illuminated by soft light, almost appears tired. The first part lasts about three minutes, then the group's typical periodicity is expressed by starting again from the initial bass riff and so on. This time, however, it accelerates a bit, and it's noticeable. Just before the middle of the song, there's the first variation, which, however, fades into an almost "eternal return of the same", if you'll pardon the citation. Wrong citation, as something changes: around six minutes, the song flows into an angry riff by Ray, fully approved by me and Scarano's drums. At seven and a half minutes, another slowdown overturns everything, until reaching the end, not particularly interesting. Finished this marathon, here's another begins, only a minute shorter.
"White Walls", while globally varied and different from the previous one, mimics its style and is rather banal and expressionless, except for a passage after halfway through the track. The same cannot be said for the following "The Monarch," which has (and it's immediately clear) more rhythm. However, it is not as interesting as the previous ones, though more varied. "70% Water", on the other hand, is beautiful: not technically so, but melodically; it almost seems like a lullaby. Of course, it is very slow and static, it may not be liked at all.
We are at the end: "Garden Level" seems to start like a Radiohead piece, and so it ends, without upheavals, as it only lasts 2:54. What to say? A very rare musical genre, no voice, very long pieces. If you like these things, buy the album; otherwise, forget it: you would detest it.
Four out of seven tracks are downloadable from http://www.penamusic.com/
RATING 6.5/10 The Collector
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