Full disclosure: I have never listened to Faraquet.
Yes, I know. Feel free to opine to me on Twitter about all the wasted hours spent in my hovel, nose in the dirt, untouched by the light of the divine. The fact is, Devin Ocampo and company have released a full length after about three years of sporadic, two-track cassette releases, and I am here to tell you, friends, that it is good.
Longtime Faraquet acolytes will no doubt draw similarities to older work and spend repeated listenings analyzing this record in terms of Ocampo’s career as a whole. But, as a newcomer, I can say without pause that previous experience is not required. The EFFECTS‘ Eyes to the Light is a perfect entry point and is destined for math rock canonization.
What’s most striking about the album is how insidiously it creeps into your subconscious and manages to wow with minimal fanfare or showboating. Don’t get me wrong; there are guaranteed classic, deceptively simple riffs and rhythms on display from track one, but unlike other examples of the genre, Eyes to the Light is not so frenetic.
It lingers in its runtime and invites you to appreciate the moment-to-moment on a nearly subconscious level. There is an effortless and wonderful structure to the songwriting that allows for a variety of texture and moods while still serving a rich and cohesive overall sound. Refreshingly even-keeled, yet masterful in both technicality and execution, Eyes to the Light feels either carefully considered or deeply instinctual. It’s certainly an album to chew on.
If you’re new to the sound and looking for a toe-in, two-song pairings really don’t get much better than ‘Another Day’ into ‘Low Lier,’ so start there.
File Under
Alt-rock, emo, wacky, odd rhythms, multi-genre
Sounds A Tad Like
Owls, Don Caballero, Faraquet, Adebisi Shank
Price
$8 Digital, $14 on Vinyl on Bandcamp
Location
Washington, D.C., USA