Stowaway

Pattern is Movement, Stowaway. NFI, 2005. FCC CLEAN.
Reviewed by DJ Matthew Stark Rubin 1/11/2005.

Emotional Math Rock on the Lite/Jazzy Tip. Definitely technical, but never too heavy, and never inaccessibly over-the-top. Melodies abound, with Rhodes as weapon of choice. Elsewhere, nice flute-sounding synth comes in quite a lot, sharp and abrasive guitars here and there and usually some bittersweet speedy guitar-picking to round out the sound. First prize to the drumming though, which turns on a dime from one crazy but captivating beat to the next. The songs themselves are somewhat schizophrenic in how much they seem to suddenly shift from rhythmically complex vamps and grooves to crazy body-jerking syncopations; whether you see this as a philosophical rejection of confinement or just a reluctance to let songs develop themselves is your business, but I buy it. Regardless, coherence definitely emerges over the course of the album. Vocals are typical and unremarkable in their tone/lyrics, but their main role is percussive, and they do a great job at that. Perhaps the album’s strongest point, though, is the tactful arrangement and orchestration of the many synth/string/key/guitar parts into one ever-changing but always sensible sound that can best be defined as “plaintive” rather than by a spot on some meaningless dark vs. light continuum.
My picks: 2, 5, 6, 8, 11*

1- Polyrhtymic, robotic chorale in 6/8. Melody comes from Rhodes. Chorus is one syncopated note.
2- More straight-up rocker. Great synths throughout. Dancey, high energy.
3- Harder at first with pounding drums and crunchy guitar. Guitars give way to soft melodies before oddly regal but hard to pin down chorus.
4- Ukelele? Instrumental interlude- DO NOT PLAY
5- Propelling drums, catchy vocals throughout. Beautiful coda with acoustic guitar directing the melody, drums doing crazy shit and a pretty slide part to boot.
6- Clunky in the best way throughout.
7- another quick instrumental interlude. DO NOT PLAY
8- Beautiful, thick melody cuts in/out of verse, which is guided by steady guitar. Chorus changes gears momentarily and keeps it interesting. So lush, so beautiful.
9- Driving dancey verse; chorus much harder and confrontational than rest of album. Coda is vintage Sunny Day…which is a good thing.
10- Another interlude- DO NOT PLAY
11- Airy. Stop/start drum beat that adds to, not ruin, the melodic flow. SO pretty.
12- Alternates between math-rock vamp VS. no drums and string-heavy pretty part. Then they kinda merge into beautiful communion, but not exactly.