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░ ██ ██ Artist: Luder ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Adelphophagia █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2013 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-02-08 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Psychedelic Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Small Stone Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Detroit four-piece Luder made their debut with █
█ 2009Æs Sonoluminescence on Small Stone. A band █
█ born from tragedy in that it was the death of Slot █
█ guitarist Billy Rivkin that led that bandÆs █
█ bassist/vocalist Sue Lott and drummer Eddie █
█ Alterman ù the latter replaced by Novadriveræs █
█ Eric Miller before the first album was released ù █
█ to enlist guitarists Phil Dⁿrr (Big Chief) and █
█ Scott Hamilton in the renamed outfit, they █
█ nonetheless immediately set about exploring a vast █
█ sonic scope on Sonoluminescence (review here), and █
█ in a few key ways, the sophomore outing, █
█ Adelphophagia, follows suit. Aside from being █
█ likewise syllabically cumbersome, the second Luder █
█ album picks up in some respects where the debut █
█ left off, pushing forth stylistically open and █
█ progressive vibes tied together through brisk █
█ melodicism and Lottæs varied singing. Songs on the █
█ nine-track/62-minute full-length are mostly █
█ extended, with opener ôNever Liked Youö being the █
█ only one to dip below the five-minute mark, and █
█ the chief difference between Adelphophagia and █
█ Sonoluminescence lies not necessarily in a █
█ dramatic shift in approach ù certainly thereÆs █
█ stylistic growth evident, but it doesnÆt feel █
█ forced or the result of some master plan ù but in █
█ the warmth of the tones and the foursomeÆs █
█ willingness to explore the textures theyÆve █
█ created. Longer pieces like ôOne Eyeö (7:33), █
█ ôHeartfeltö (8:57), ôDirgeö (9:48) and the closer █
█ ôRemember What I Saidö (9:19) make use of the room █
█ in their runtime to allow Hamilton and Dⁿrr the █
█ space to enact a rich tonal wash, and with a kick █
█ drum less forward in the mix and excellent balance █
█ of Lottæs voice in the mix ù you can hear it █
█ particularly on ôRemember What I Said,ö but itÆs █
█ true of the album as a whole as well ù █
█ Adelphophagia hits a remarkable mixture of heavy █
█ psychedelia, progressive rock, and Æ90s-style █
█ riffy crunch, coming across on the whole as less █
█ aggressive than its predecessor, but all the more █
█ aesthetically accomplished for that because of the █
█ sense of flow within and between the songs █
█ included. █
█ Not to speak for anyone else, but I think thereÆs █
█ a certain reticence on the part of reviewers to █
█ gush when it comes to Luder because of Hamiltonæs █
█ involvement in the band in addition to his being █
█ the head of Small Stone Records. ThatÆs fair █
█ enough. While Luder donÆt sound like anything else █
█ on the Small Stone roster, between their Detroit █
█ roots and the underlying heavy rock sensibility ù █
█ Lottæs bass is thick the way you think of Michigan █
█ snowfall as a blanket ù I can see that side of the █
█ argument. Nobody wants to appear as being in █
█ someone elseÆs pocket. Frankly, I donÆt either, █
█ whether itÆs Small Stone or anyone else. The █
█ validity of critique relies on the illusion of █
█ impartiality ù and yes folks, itÆs an illusion. At █
█ the same time, Adelphophagiaæs achievements stand █
█ worthy of praise regardless of whoÆs in the █
█ lineup, and in fact the effects Hamilton brings to █
█ the mix alongside Dⁿrræs leads are a big part of █
█ what makes the record so immersive and easy to get █
█ lost within as ôNever Liked Youö ù the lyrics of █
█ which cast an immediate indictment that stands in █
█ line as a follow-up to ôSelfish and Dumbö from █
█ Sonoluminescence ù transitions into the slowly █
█ churning groove of ôAstrolabe,ö an early one-two █
█ shot of progressive heft further distinguished by █
█ the underlying heft of Lottæs bass and the █
█ smoothness which which their choruses are █
█ launched. A dreamy but solidified course for █
█ Adelphophagia is set, ôAstrolabeö building █
█ instrumentally to a formidable crescendo before █
█ ringing out into the languid guitar intro of ôOne █
█ Eye,ö which in like form sets about rising from █
█ the bed its made itself. There are verses and █
█ choruses, but the central riff is a hook unto █
█ itself, building tension but staying in control █
█ even as the second chorus gives way to the more █
█ raucous crashes that launch the instrumental build █
█ that brings ôOne Eyeö to its greatest wash, █
█ guitars embroiled alternately in leads and █
█ sustained, hard strums echoing in a plod of their █
█ own while Milleræs drum fills add a sense of chaos █
█ before the quieter ending cuts to the start of █
█ ôHeartfelt,ö similarly minded in its scope, but █
█ even airier and more fluid in its transitions. █
█ Structurally, Adelphophagia works in pairs ù █
█ fitting to its titular theme referring to the █
█ phenomenon of intrauterine cannibalism; one twin █
█ fetus eating another ù and plays shorter songs off █
█ longer ones, two by two, until inserting the David █
█ Bowie cover ôIÆm Afraid of Americansö between █
█ ôDirgeö and ôRemember What I Saidö as the █
█ penultimate cut. It probably wouldnÆt have worked █
█ as the closer and thereÆs nowhere else to really █
█ put it. Still, though itÆs kicking off the second █
█ pair of shorter songs, ôAsk the Skyö (6:02) makes █
█ a rousing centerpiece for a linear listen of █
█ Luderæs latest, with a clarion guitar line acting █
█ as the center of shoegazing dreaminess that calls █
█ to mind late Æ60s psychedelia that also winds up █
█ in one of the albumÆs strongest choruses. The song █
█ meanders but loses neither its gorgeousness nor █
█ its flow, that same clarion line returning at the █
█ start of the second verse, shorter leading into a █
█ louder, more forward chorus that in turn morphs █
█ into a lead section, becoming more and more of a █
█ swirl until before you even realize as you listen, █
█ Luder have shifted into a space-rock freakout with █
█ such subtlety and patience that it becomes a shame █
█ when it ends. Guitar also starts the subsequent █
█ ôYou Try Itö ù another direct address ù but the █
█ mood is darker. A foundation of background █
█ distortion lets a winding guitar line come forward █
█ with the bass, but even the more active chorus and █
█ bridge keep to the more brooding vibe. Resting on █
█ the title line, the chorus stands up to █
█ ôAstrolabeö and ôNever Liked Youö well enough, but █
█ on such an impeccably structured album there are █
█ no real accidents, and the placement of ôYou Try █
█ Itö isnÆt one either. To be fair, almost anything █
█ would have trouble sandwiched between ôAsk the █
█ Skyö and ôDirge,ö the sleepy progression of which █
█ is probably Adelphophagiaæs single greatest █
█ achievement, Lott coming more forward vocally and █
█ casting off some of the echo in the earthier █
█ verses only to open in kind with the instruments █
█ surrounding for the chorus. As has been the case █
█ several times by now, her bass and Milleræs drums █
█ are the glue holding the piece together when the █
█ guitars go exploring, Hamilton with effects, Dⁿrr █
█ with solos, but thereÆs no single element in █
█ ôDirgeö that isnÆt made stronger by the others █
█ around it. █
█ An extended instrumental section following the █
█ last chorus feels well-plotted to the most █
█ effective build possible, breaking from the lines, █
█ ôThis fear has gone away/I know IÆm on my own/Lord █
█ I hope he understands,ö to the best solo and █
█ psychedelic wash Luder have to offer. The music █
█ writhes and twists gracefully, but keeps forward █
█ motion as well, moving you along even as it █
█ continues to hypnotize, slowly deconstructing over █
█ the course of its last two minutes or so to let █
█ the last give over to noise and effects and █
█ feedback. ThereÆs a brief spoken sample near the █
█ end ù maybe Rivkin? ù and the last echoes of █
█ ôDirgeö fade in such a way that probably couldÆve █
█ capped the record, but Luder decide to keep going █
█ and throw a curve in the form of ôIÆm Afraid of █
█ Americans.ö The song was topical enough when Bowie █
█ teamed with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails for █
█ the original version in 1997 and itÆs not like █
█ American culture or foreign or domestic policy has █
█ gotten any more rational since, so yeah, alright. █
█ IÆm not sure how much sense it makes following █
█ ôDirgeö on Adelphophagia, but at very least Luder █
█ perform it well and it allows them to play to some █
█ of the trip-hop ambience that showed up on █
█ Sonoluminescence and are otherwise largely absent █
█ here, expanding the already considerable breadth █
█ and grounding the overarching flow of the release █
█ with what even for David Bowie was a landmark hook █
█ en route to ôRemember What I Saidöæs revival of █
█ psychedelic vibing. ThereÆs a bit of tension █
█ leftover from ôIÆm Afraid of Americansö that █
█ bleeds into the finale, but over the course of █
█ its first couple minutes, ôRemember What I Saidö █
█ sets its own course, arriving early at a █
█ satisfying wash to echo ôDirgeö ù albeit with more █
█ serenity ù and breaking after four minutes in to █
█ start over from the ground up, a flourish of █
█ effects backing all the while. Lottæs vocals are █
█ something of a guiding force over obscure guitars █
█ and bass and drums that seem to be given to their █
█ own movement, but as the last build unfolds, itÆs █
█ more than enjoyable to be led into the fray by the █
█ layers of sweet melody. Dⁿrr takes the fore with a █
█ last solo, and they finish languid under big skies █
█ with ringing tones that suddenly cut out as if to █
█ convey thereÆs still more to be said. There may █
█ well be, since for an outing as sonically engaging █
█ and stylistically expansive as Luderæs █
█ Adelphophagia is, itÆs hard to imagine that itÆs █
█ also where the bandÆs creative evolution ends. If █
█ it is or it isnÆt, weÆve probably got a while █
█ before finding out ù it was four years between the █
█ first and second albums and Luder donÆt appear to █
█ be in any hurry ù but fortunately, Adelphophagia █
█ provides a deep enough listen that it should be no █
█ problem holding over till the next one. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Never Liked You 4:28 ░
░ 2. Astrolabe 5:33 ░
░ 3. One Eye 7:33 ░
░ 4. Heartfelt 8:57 ░
░ 5. Ask the Sky 6:02 ░
░ 6. You Try It 5:47 ░
░ 7. Dirge 9:48 ░
░ 8. I'm Afraid of Americans 5:22 ░
░ 9. Remember What I Said 9:19 ░
░ 62:49 ░
░ ▒ ▒
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