Graboids- Infinite Delay

ARTIST: Graboids

ALBUM: Infinite Delay

LABEL: Stickfigure Recordings

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 5-20-07

Blending blissed out space rock with occasional progressive crescendos, Graboids' new CD is a must-have for fans of instrumental art rock. "Panda Cam 1" starts things off quietly with soft drones that eventually give way to gently psychedelic pools of guitar effects, but just when you think you've settled in for a long, sleepy ride on "Weapons of Mass Distraction," things start to get big and heavy. It's still not head-banging music by any means, but the sludgy guitar distortion and massive-sounding cymbal crashes are head-nodding at the very least, at once heavy and somehow soothing. Adding a bit more variety than the usual four-piece rock arrangement, "Coma Bear" works deep piano chords into the mix to give the plucked and sustained guitar ambience a bit of backbone, while "This Song Is Terrible" goes darker with back-masked samples and sinister drones. By far the most surprising offering, though, is "Top of the Network," which starts off quietly enough with soft keyboards and looped acoustic strums, but then segues into a British-accented political rap, of all things. It's a decent piece, but totally interrupts the flow of the album and may have been better utilized as a hidden bonus track. That aside, this is a lovely collection of instrumental rock weirdness that fans of Windy And Carl, Mogwai, and Tortoise should appreciate.

Visit Graboids on the Web at https://website.aginet.com/graboids/.