The Albuquerque-based band, Of God and Science, has brought forth one of the more progressive indie rock albums in recent memory with their latest self-titled album.
With music based on keys and spacey programming, the band pieces together some promising tracks. But then again, what else should be expected from a group of guys who are veterans of a thriving music scene such as Albuquerque's?
With influences from Spoon to At The Drive-In to Bright Eyes, this album comes off as very deliberate with its melodies, yet is not stale and contrived as many albums in its genre tend to be.
The opener, "5'7", is one of the band's more intriguing songs. Opening with a repetitious drum cadence underneath a transparent guitar, the song eventually builds into a crescendo after vocalist Matthew Dominguez's voice crawls through the speakers.
Suddenly the music cuts out, leaving only Dominguez and a soft keyboard.
"In a state of passion, you're in a state of peace. You're not one of these shotgun suicidal politicians out on the street," Dominguez whispers.
It is this type of dark imagery that is the band's forte throughout the album, and it isn't only the lyrics. Even something as rudimentary as an ambient guitar part or the playing of a single note on a keyboard comes off as dark and deep.
The track "Emef" is a great example of this. The melody comes off a little disjointed because of a very ambient, lap steel guitar somewhere in the background of the production. By the end of the track, there are so many layers of sound, it is difficult to focus on just one. To complicate this further, the band slowly speeds up the music and by the end, "Emef" becomes a very jumbled - yet controlled - montage of sound. It might seem unappealing, but it is unique and powerful.
One of the more interesting songs on the album is the instrumental track, "Nations are Cults." The track features Dominguez wailing on a lap steel guitar. Beginning with a very simple piano part, the song becomes one of the lushest and most full-sounding tracks on the album.
The production of this album is second to none. The band produced it themselves and it sounds simply stunning. It is clear the goal was to create a spacey rock album and that goal was achieved 10 times over.
The focus for the production is also clearly placed on the instruments and how they sound. Not to say the vocals are not essential to this album, but when the musicians are as good as these guys, it only makes sense to make sure the guitar tone is perfect and the drums are deep and resonating.
Of God and Science is headed for big things. With performances throughout the southwest, including a showcase at SXSW Music Festival in Ausin, Texas, it is clear that these guys will become household names sooner rather than later.
Alex Drumm can be reached at drumm.33@osu.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!