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When I first got this record from the co-owner of Feeling Faint Productions (for driving his car-less ass to a party), I was very skeptical. I thought that, after looking at the colorful, yet dreary artwork, it would be some type of artsy band I wouldn’t enjoy. After a couple of listens, though, I have to say I thoroughly enjoy this, the new Across Tundras EP, Divides.
Divides, at first, will likely make listeners think that Pelican met Neurosis and birthed Across Tundras. With very subtle tempo changes and an eerie, instrumental mood, the beginning offers some clues as to what type of music this band plays. When the vocals chime in, an overall Isis feel permeates Across Tundras' sound. The strong, but distant vocals seem to echo in a pessimistic way throughout the whole disc, but not in a bad way.
The production of Divides is good enough for a small-scale EP, but overall the drums and the vocals could sound a little cleaner. The guitars and bass are recorded just fine; heavier than everything else, which makes for a good, thick listen. Like I said before, I thought the artwork was a little artsy, but Paul Romano (who also has done work for heavyweights Mastadon and Dead To Fall) did an excellent job.
Basically, Feeling Faint has released another oddly fascinating, yet very appealing record for anyone who is a fan of the bands mentioned in this review. I cannot begin to wonder what this band or the label has in its future, and I would highly recommend this album for anyone enjoys a lumbering mix of Pelican, Isis, Neurosis and Red Sparrowes influences.
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