March 10, 2004

A Problem of Alarming Dimensions "h-hov-hover"

h-hov-hover is the debut record for A Problem of Alarming Dimensions, a really great band who are doomed to be compared to an endless amount of other bands, simply because their songs are instrumentally-themed*, their instrumentals are really epic and pretty and ambient, and they've got wacky song names--I like "We Prefer Luciferians'. Hey, it happens; journalists get overwhelmed sometimes and a lot of hacks really don't know what the hell they're talking about. Such lazy journalism keeps really shitty bands alive, when, in fact, they should all die**. Besides, instrumental albums are a bit tricky to review.

Still, it's to APOAD's benefit that they're actually TALENTED and not only do they KNOW how to play their instruments, they know how to play with others as well, making each noisy epic song really, really pretty. Kicking off with the epic "Driving In Unison," they overwhelm the senses with circular guitars, quiet flutters of distortion and delay, lots of guitars, plenty of sound effects, and a generally affable attitude towards life.Well, except when they shoot the guns--cuz then they're kinda scary. Loud though they may be, derivitive they aren't, and pretty they always are--again, except when they shoot the guns.They made sure not leave any space between songs, so h-hov-hover has a really seamless flow, making this album one long, grand art-rock movement. This is a great instrumental record, it's like getting stoned without the moral issue of drug use. I bet these guys are AMAZING live.

--Joseph Kyle

Label website: http://www.8088records.com

*'Instrumentally-themed' because apparently there are vocals, but you'll never hear them.
**No mediocre math-rock bands were harmed during the writing of this review, even though I thought about it a lot.

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