Comus

The album starts us off with a nice ambient guitar and generally annoying vocals that still somewhat retain their charm from earlier releases. The instrumental passages are interesting and but don't really seem to flow anywhere. This could be seen as a good thing as a lot of it is incredibly infectious, it's very stimulating to say the least. My first question here absolutely has to be: okay guys, I understand that you're experimenting and going in new directions, but didn't you used to do metal? Not much stands out in the title track yet it all does come together well and is executed just as it should be. The overall theme is interesting, but you can't really listen to the vocalist for any long period of time, so I don't know what the lyrics are about, it feels like their trying really hard to be the Mars Volta.

Clelia Walking is geniunely fun to listen to, it's like you're back in the canterbury scene with five guys going "okay, how can we make this sound as random as possible". Not enough bands do this anymore, and all the power of these guys for pulling off a fun filled passage. There are some stand out performances, a lovely violin, which although not very technically proficient still sounds absolutely awesome. I can't help but think I've heard some of the accompanying noises before though on a nintendo handheld version of donkey kong. Yeah, trying really hard to be TMV on the lyrics here, somewhat effective, but only because it distracts you from how annoying his voice has become.

The rest of the album follows on much in the same way, with nothing really standing out, it's certainly not as eventful as their other work, and that of motW, but I'm sure this one will have some growing potential. In all honesty this does sound like a straight forward prog/avant garde work without many of the earlier hallmarks of true experimentalism that were present in their earlier work, for better or worse. The whole album is starting to feel genuinely light handed, as if the musicians aren't genuinely interested in what they're doing, with their minds drifting elsewhere. This however does have somewhat of a positive effect on the listener, as I can feel my mind racing all over the place. I often comment on the mental impact of the music I review, and this is certainly one of the most profound.

It's as if it's trying to make me remember everything I've forgotten, it's filling me with a great sense of incompleteness, intentional or not, it's certainly a very strange experience. But on the musical side, I can almost see why, the whole thing does feel incomplete and unpolished, unfinished and not yet fully layered. Maybe their producer died from boredom halfway through the mixing process, before he could add all the awesome metal bits and ambient soundscapes. All this being said, it's still genuinely enjoyable, I sometimes comment on the whimsical side of the old obscure prog I review, and this has a lot of this, but it just doesn't work as well. The whole reason why is because music just simply isn't that innocent anymore, the world is more aware, and thus music has changed to reflect that.

The album does manage at times to be infectiously catchy, like on The Awkward Wind Wheel which is a certain highpoint, some great drumming keeps it all together, and the song is beautifully put together. The faster pace of the passage is entirely welcome in this album setting as it focuses the listeners back onto the music after letting their minds wander for a long time. Effective use of repetition and the absurd keeps the Useless Ladder interesting and ultimately sets up the final song.

For all the drawbacks on the album, Symmetrical Arizona is a true journey into the beauty that music can become. Featuring a beautiful guitar solo that strikes almost all the right notes. This continues on beautifully for the final half, with some more beautiful instrumental passages from several different musicians. The track is layered beautifully and just works on a scale which isn't present anywhere else on the album, except maybe on the Awkward Wind Wheel. Each passage is a welcome change from the next, and there's just no drawbacks. It is truly a fitting end to an overall good album, despite my criticism.

Make no mistake, this is a good album, a contender for the top 20 of the releases this year, but it's not a true masterpiece, and, as I say, my score will reflect that.

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