Eros And The Eschaton - Weight Of Matter

Auf der Suche nach den besten Shoegaze-Alben 2016 (IV)

Minor Victories, Linda Guilala, Box And The Twins, Flyying Colours - wer kann sich noch in die Riege der besten Shoegaze-Veröffentlichungen 2016 einreihen, vielleicht...

... Eros And The Eschaton.

Das Ehepaar Kate Perdoni und Adam Hawkins startete als musikalisches Duo und veröffentlichten 2013 mit "Home Address For Civil War" sein Debütalbum, das es in meine persönlichen Top 25 schaffte. Mittlerweile sind Eros And The Eschaton Dank Alex Koshak (Schlagzeug), Ryan Spradlin (Bass) und Mitch Macura (Keyboards) zu einem Quintett angewachsen und haben ein zweites Album aufgenommen und über Bar/None veröffentlicht. Das musikalische Epizentrum von "Weight Of Matter" hat sich etwas von Shoegaze und My Bloody Valentine-Einflüssen (sind natürlich noch vorhanden) hin zum Alternative Rock der späten 80er / frühen 90er verschoben. Die Referenzen heißen nun auch: Sonic Youth, Galaxie 500 (einmal auch beide innerhalb eines Songs), Dinosaur Jr. und Mercury Rev.

Opener “OMG I AM” hearkens back to the first record, hinting at more dreamy layers. The rest of the record breaks from that, filling up these charged tunes with crashing drums and blown-out guitars. Songs like “The Way I Feel Tonight” or the epic “Center of the World” take the established hazy sensibility and slice it up with buzzsaw guitars, pitting the sweet against the downright frenzied. Weight of Matter is at its best when the band finds a tense balance between these two extremes, like on “Rxx” when the keys soften the intense warble of the vocals and the thick bed of distorted guitars. There are moments where the balance tips, where “Long Shot” threatens to get lost in its own fog, or where “Bop Shoo Bop” thins out the crunch of guitars a bit. Overall, though, Weight of Matter is a solid rock record, one that marks a confident new turn for Eros and the Eschaton and suggests that, as a five-piece, they’re just getting started.
(PopMatters)

Having relocated and been joined by three new members, founding couple Kate Perdoni and Adam Hawkins sound imaginative and free-spirited on Weight of Matter, especially on bubbly opener "OMG I AM," a topsy-turvy psychedelic declaration of the wonder of wild, weird existence.

Combined, they're a fitting introduction to the album's mish-mash melange that puts spins from various decades and folk/rock genres — from the soulful '60s and '70s, futuristic '80s and fuzzed-out indie and alt-rock of the '90s — on modern compositions, where unique synth lines are key. It's quite the juggling act, but for the most part, they pull it off. "Bop Shoo Bop" falters a bit, though it's still a standout, the ominous galactic groove bumping up against an erratic solo before being juxtaposed with a playfully quirky chorus.

The mystic hippy vocals on the verses don't quite belong on the futuristic song, though, and the understated "Helicopter" proves the band are slightly better when they stick to more straightforward songs. Highlight "RXX" has an optimistic, bold through-line that brings the Rentals, Bloc Party and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to mind. It and the shoegazing "The Way I Feel" strike a deft balance between electronic sentimentality and a rocking, full-band sound.

Overall, Eros and the Eschaton should be commended for their bold steps forward on Weight of Matter, even if they still hit hardest with their synth-studded rock spectacles.
(exclaim)