Bonjerno and welcome to my first review that is, oddly enough, not a part of my collection, well it wasn’t when I first heard it anyway, it is now. New Music Reviews will be exactly what they say on the tin; thing’s I’ve never heard before that were not in my library.
Who do we have for our first review? None other than London-based six-piece, Rumour Cubes. Previously, these guys and dolls have put out three other releases and I’m getting a look at their newest *cough* two years old *cough* album, The Narrow State.
The universe is a factory fails (thankfully) to be the typical crescendo core that you’d expect from a post-rock/instrumental band, it becomes so much more. Which, little did I know at the beginning, predicted a more interesting sound than I’ve been used to with most post-rock outfits. It floats around for a few minutes with lush strings and decent percussion (not that I know what makes good percussion), until, it swoons over itself. Then there’s this monster that arises from the classical strings and screams distortion and very Muse-like guitar riffs. Factory meanders into a groovy territory and then it shakes it’s ass out of here with the bass; a blood pumping and exciting track from start to finish.
Gove Curve brings all its instrumental buddies in nice and early to have a lovely tea party. However, it’s not too long before it realises that that tea party is with the mad hatter! Crisp cleans turn to disrespectful distortions and the strings become horror movie soundtracks. Then the poem, Gove Curve, written and spoken by Steve Willey. Excuse me, I say spoken, I mean, performed, because this poem is performed with such soul and determination, it should shake any listener while they twiddle with their thumbs on the bus.
It might be time for a break after all that excitement. Thankfully, that is exactly what At Sea gives the listener. Gorgeous swells and chords send shivers down my spine until I’m forced to put on another sweater. Just when I feel that it’s about to turn ugly, it doesn’t, At Sea is the creamy centre of this album, at that point in the album. Time to grab my boat and go fishing!
Rain On Titan, again, gives us that warm sweet vibe with the guitars taking a lead on the sweet shop this time. Again, roughly at the halfway point, the drums give us that morse code they’re oh so talented at and let us know that things are about to get a bit bombastic. Sure enough, it starts raining distortion, but not like the mad hatters tea party in Gove Curve, no, everything stays epic without a monster needing to be slain. Then it just fades out with some cymbal crashes.
The penultimate track sounds like it belongs on video-game soundtrack, that point where you’re kicking ass against the final boss. At about two minutes, it appears that the boss is defeated, but don’t be too sure, the drums are giving that unsettling feeling that something is awry here. Couple that with the plinky horror strings in the background again, real scary stuff! What really strikes me about this track and this album in general, is how versatile it all is together.
Despite a mixture of sounds and moods, everything gels into each other without causing any fuss. The album, to me, feels like it’s this painting with a massive pallet of colours that all flow and become one with one another. Rumour Cubes do this all without a single bit of hassle.
Tempus Fugit, our final track is not the brassy tart ending that you get on a lot of albums; it’s a modest little moment that makes you think ‘Well, that was a great album.’ Tempus Fugit ties a daring album together with a quiet finale while the rest of the album shines with as many moods as you can imagine.
The Narrow State, is a magnificent album that I have no problem introducing to my collection of tunes, even if it does only worsen the problem of my music hoarding. However, this is a welcome problem; every track impresses and evokes strong feelings of triumph, fear, change and felicity in all of the moments that this, still very short album, manages to encompass. The Narrow State is worth your time and the time of those around you, so play it really loud and proud on the bus. I’m kidding I don’t approve of that yobbish act.
If what you’ve heard has interested you, why not buy their material? It’s a pay what you want album and it’d be a shame not to support this killer band.
Head on over to their Bandcamp.
Stick a fork in me guys, I am done for today. Remember, eating music is not the healthiest diet, but it does wonders for your soul.
Music Gleaner 