Broken Rope

Apocalyptic, interstellar, and devastatingly beautiful. David Vassalotti is the lead guitarist for Merchandise, an acclaimed indie rock group on 4AD who had my favorite album of 2014. After listening obsessively to that album, After the End, I spent loads of time trying to learn Vassalotti’s tremendously gorgeous guitar lines. On Broken Rope, his second solo LP, the complex guitarwork continues, yet Vassalotti adventures further into drone, outer-space ambience, Middle Eastern instrumental aesthetics, and dark freak-folk textures. The album’s lyrics draw from a canon spanning Russian folklore, Spanish poetry, and Portuguese history. He studied English in college, and there’s a kind of narrative to the way the words and instrumentation intertwine.

Sounds like a phenomenal combination of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, GY!BE, Cass McCombs, Girls, and Deerhunter. No FCCs. Favorite tracks: 3, 4, 8, 9.

1. (2:43) The Trouble With Being Born — Atmospheric, outer space, new wave track. No vocals.
2. (2:37) Lady Day Redux — Uptempo. Acoustic guitars and folk sensibilities. Sounds a lot like Cass McCombs.
3. (5:16) **Drawn and Quartered — Ominous, tight grip. Post-punk. Darkly cascading guitars and basslines. This is so Swans.
4. (5:02) ***Ines de Castro — Lilting, warped guitars and a shuffling beat. Folk song about a girl. Sounds like Gene Clark + guitar effects.
5. (1:55) Sarah Sings — Simple fingerpicking melody. Some faint whimpers occasionally. Reminds me of Alex G.
6. (2:41) The Dogs — Heavy, consistent drumming. Eerie wails. Helicopter sounds and drone in the last 30 seconds.
7. (2:44) The Zahir — Middle Eastern-sounding instrumental patterns. Urgent, frenetic vocals at times. Fluid. I saw this duo called Xylouris White open for Godspeed and this song strangely reminds me of the interplay between the two groups’ sounds.
8. (5:41) ***Maly Kitezh — Languid fingerpicked guitar and some reverb. Also reveals Middle Eastern qualities. Crashing harsh noise at 2:05, then an unexpected drop followed by some faint wails and apocalyptic liturgical music.
9. (8:15) *Bolshoy Kitezh — Godspeed-esque two-minute intro. Then thudding percussion and buzzing, glitchy sounds. Spacey vocals. Becomes softer and celestial in the last two minutes.
10. (6:12) Broken Rope — Upbeat pop song a la Halcyon Digest-era Deerhunter. Sounds a bit like Real Estate with the guitars. Sweet electric guitar fills starting at 3:55. Last 15 seconds are nearly silent.