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Land of Talk
It's always difficult to judge a band by a single release; even more so when that single release is an acclaimed seven song EP. For Land of Talk, the power of the Applause Cheer Boo Hiss EP, out in the USA on March 20, signifies not that the band is capable of fully realizing their sound in the near future, but rather, Land of Talk has already arrived, and are just waiting for the rest of us to catch up.
This power trio from Montreal somehow finds a way to create dense post-punk songs with driving rhythms and textured guitars with Sonic Youth and PJ Harvey influences. Guitarist Elizabeth Powell, bassist Chris McCarron, and drummer Bucky Wheaton have undeniable chemistry. Most of the time, it seems like the band has got the bull by the horns, a hulking beast of hooks and catchy melodies.
The real lynch pin in Land of Talk's intense sound is singer Elizabeth Powell's voice: she manages to sound confident, yearning, damaged, and haunted all at once, like a post-punk Chan Marshall. Even when wailing about girls "piss[ing] their pants," she sounds gorgeous, never harsh, especially against Wheaton's sonic heft and the point-counterpoint of guitar and bass below. The hypnotic, obtuse lyrics fit like a glove and Land of Talk succeed best when the complex harmonies mesh with Powell's operatics, the ebb and flow of their aggressive but intoxicating, scintillating guitar pop.
Land of Talk - Magnetic Hill
Land of Talk - Speak to Me Bones
Land of Talk's official site. Buy Applause Boo Cheer Hiss from Amazon or iTunes.
Posted by Queen of the Front Row at 02.28.07 at 9:25 AM
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