San Francisco, California's SubArachnoid Space is back, unleashing their first psychedelic torrent of sound since 2005's The Red Veil. Moody and evocative, the band's latest weaves tapestry after tapestry of rich, complex music without the band ever uttering a word. With such a reliance on song composition, Eight Bells occasionally struggles to escape the stratosphere of mediocrity before ultimately leaving tedium behind in a vortex of sonic manipulation.The band immediately comes out swinging with "Lillith," a mesmerizing but brief journey through swells of guitar distortion. These waves of ambient rumbles ebb and flow, ringing out like clarions in a hazy mist. Short but sweet, the song crests with a moment of hypnotic bass and guitar interplay before losing itself to a feedback loop.
"Akathesia" requires more patience on the part of the listener. With a little persistence, however, it proves quite rewarding. Opening up with skittering guitar lines oozing paranoia, the song soon collapses into minimalist guitar strums resounding in empty air. Out of this barren sonic landscape emerges an explosive passage of angular chord abuse played with mathematic precision. Startling and loud, it should cause plenty of freakouts for those lulled into a false sense of security.
Up next is "Hunter Seeker," an urgent stoner jam chock full of wavering strings and tectonic rhythms. Jittery and manic, the song shakes off the previous number's hypnotism with a massive psychedelia breakdown. This winding guitar assault is amongst the album's best, the melodies sounding like a knife fight between psychotropic entities.
"Haruspex," meanwhile, provides a harsh buzz with its fuzzy, rumbling din. It is perhaps the only true misstep on Eight Bells, the tune's meandering guitar jangle never leading anywhere concrete. In perhaps its biggest shortcoming, "Haruspex" fails at producing any kind of atmosphere comparable with the rest of the CD.
Thankfully, album closer "Bird Signs" redeems the record with a masterful fusion of rhythm and dynamic, ever-shifting emotional auras. Entrancing bass lines hop and skip all over the map, throbbing in listener's eardrums like an irregular heartbeat. As the main thrust of the song gradually spirals out of control, the end result is an expansive journey through interstellar space.
Overall, Eight Bells is a soothing album which still allows for plenty of gripping, supercharged moments. Though ideal for letting one's mind wander, it also features enough fury for those looking for something a bit harder-edged. This is an album which is a happy medium between the realms of groove and grit.
Tracklisting
Lillith
Akathesia
Hunter Seeker
Haruspex
Bird Signs