ARTIST: Romance of Young Tigers
TITLE: Romance of Young Tigers
LABEL: Self Released
GENRE: Instrumental Rock
BITRATE: 190kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 34m total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-00-00
RIP DATE: 2007-02-13
Track List
----------
1. Long Withdrawing Roar 4:46
2. We Sing Sin 11:46
3. The Sound And The Fury 9:29
4. Cease Silent Soft Choir 8:23
Release Notes:
I made a brief post on Dayton, Ohio trio Romance Of Young Tigers about a month
ago. Back then I said this young band (two guitarists and a bassist) made music
the equivalent of ôMono merging their dynamic sound with the attention to detail
aspects of Labradfordö.
With their debut self-released EP, the Young Tigers not only match the promise
of that statement, they blow it out of the water! For a band with literally no
percussive elements, their sound of massive distorted soundscapes is, nothing
short of, absolutely monumental.
(Before talking about the music, the packaging is something to marvel at too.
ItÆs handmade, hand-drawn and highly inventive. It makes this EP worth buying,
before even listening to the music.)
Opening proceedings with the incredible, and aptly titled, ôLong Withdrawing
Roarö, this fledgling band combine lulling drones that slowly unravel into a
real cacophony of psychedelic sound. As this track progresses, the discordant
sounds become drenched in reverb, while a glorious melody starts to emerge,
before subsiding into a mass of distorted ambience. For a bandÆs first foray
into recorded territory, it is astounding stuff.
After such a glorious start, it is hard to see how Romance Of Young Tigers could
match ôLong Withdrawing Roarö, but with ôWe Sing Sinö, they not only do that,
they somehow, manage to go one better. I can only imagine what it is like to
experience this band in a live setting, because the sheer volume of ôWe Sing
Sinö, would surely be enough to dislodge oneÆs brain. It is a ferocious and
intense track, clocking in at well over 11 minutes.
Again, despite no percussive elements, this hypnotic composition features
crescendos that are as big as tidal waves. The Mono/Labradford comparison is
probably most apparent here. While ôLong Withdrawing Roarö is incredible, ôWe
Sing Sinö is stunning.
Third track, ôThe Sound And The Furyö, through no fault of its own, suffers from
the sheer quality of the previous two tracks. It changes tact slightly, relying
on spectral drones and some psychedelic, twinkling sounds to start it off.
Again, it builds slowly, but purposefully, into a thick cloud of distortion. It
is as epic as the opening two tracks, but looses it impact slightly because of
whatÆs went on before. That is not to say ôThe Sound And The Furyö is an
inferior track, because most bands would kill to compose something as monolithic
as this.
ôCease Silent Soft Choirö, the EPÆs closing track, reminds me of the work of
Seattle noise-mongers Hovercraft. Employing walls of wailing feedback and some
eerie sound effects, it serves to create an atmosphere that is quite unsettling.
It would be a perfect score for a horror film and also shows Romance Of Young
Tigers to be no æone-trick poniesÆ. Of course, you can never get enough of a
good thing and the band slowly guide this song into an eruption of that, now
trademarked, distorted ambience around the 5 minute mark, before descending back
into the sinister soundscape.
At nearly 35 minutes long, the 4 expansive tracks that make up this EP provide
some jaw-dropping moments. The breathtaking ôWe Sing Sinö is the pick of the
bunch, but there are inspired moments on all four tracks.
I am running out of superlatives to describe this release. Sure they have their
influences, but the sound here is, most definitely, their own. If you havenÆt
made your new yearÆs resolution yet, make it a point to check this band out.
Everything about this release oozes quality, from the packaging to the music
itself. To sum it up in one word: Spectacular.