The Almighty Rhombus - Lucid Living (Cosmic Dave's Record
Factory)
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| The Almighty Rhombus - Lucid Living |
Firstly, if you're here because you
fell for my line about Alanis then I must apologise. This is nothing like
Alanis. I was just being naughty. Secondly, you should stick around, though, if
you like an bit of quirkiness and expansiveness to your music. You do?
Wonderful. Then let's dive right on in......
The Almighty Rhombus is an
awesome name for a band, I think we can all agree on that, so they've set the
bar pretty high for themselves from the get-go. Nevertheless, the indie-disco
speed shuffle of 'Down South' and strung out guitars of 'Blank' are a strong
start. We're talking Vampire Weekend, We Are Scientists, Weezer and Belle &
Sebastian with a little European electro disco influence thrown in for good
measure. The visceral, nightmarish sounds of 'House Burns Down' is like
something from a 70s B-Movie soundtrack while 'Butane Brain' is a lot more
lilting and positive than the title suggests with elements of Cake sneaking
through in the key and tempo changes. If you're a fan of organs, however, then
you should prepare yourself for 'Thunderstorms' which is so twee you might as
well take it to a Scottish village and buy it tea in a small cafe before a walk
around the cobbled streets. 'Flourescent', however, is the tune where the
quintet take things to a higher level of bat-shit crazy with more ideas than
Kanye's got personality flaws and a riff the size of a monster-truck tyre.
There is a certain 80s swagger
about 'Summer Dreams' that requires a soft-top Cadillac to make the most of it
but, conversely, 'Red Eye' sounds distinctly Scottish in origin to me with its
handclaps, jangly guitars and Edwyn Collins fuzzy guitars. The clash of fuzzy,
scuzzy garage rock with tight, perfectly formed indie-pop tunes is the niche
that The Almighty Rhombus are carving for themselves and it is a lovely niche
at that. 'Vacation' has cavernous feel to it which lends the tune a retro
authenticity I wholeheartedly approve. Meanwhile, over on 'No I Won't' the
chugging guitars and dreamy vocals draw you in until you're surrounded by the
luxurious keys of Clayton Drake (what a name?!?). Like a complimentary mint at
the end of a five course meal, 'Standoff' is reassuringly light and
refreshingly breezy with its jaunty piano work - the perfect way to finish of
such a meaty, complex and thoughtful meal. I mean album. Sorry Alanis fans.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/TheAlmightyRhombus?fref=ts
Listen/Download Here: http://thealmightyrhombus.bandcamp.com/releases
Live Dates:
28th February - The Big Basement Show, Sudbury, Ontario