Reviews
31Knots
The Days And Nights Of Everything Anywhere
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Add to del.ico.us.Review Date: 2007-06-21
I am having trouble finding information about 31Knots from looking at their website. It’s okay though, because I have their CD, thanks to my recent trip to Toronto. This music is something that is not for all -- I say this because at times I'm not ready for some of it, but at other times I'm totally digging what’s going on. Joe Haege’s vocals are interesting and consistent throughout, which is good because I can appreciate their rawness. Joe is also on the guitar and does the piano work for the band; busy guy. It seems Jay Pellucci is the drummer and bass is by Jay Winebrenner. A threesome of the letter J that play in a band, this has to be a saga.
"Beauty" is our starter, and it’s totally a good track. What I love about it are the vocals; Haege goes back and forth, sometimes almost yelling at the mic and other times just singing about whatever. I think it’s interesting, the range he can have over a small period of time. What I also like is the piano. So far Joe has impressed. I am pretty sure he is the brainchild of this band, from what I can tell after listening to the album several times. It’s a good intro track because it lets you know it’s catchy, but not the ordinary type of catchy.
"Sanctify" is crap. It has a fucking chant at the beginning that goes on and on, and it’s totally creepy. After this loops a few times, Haege comes in and starts singing. That’s totally fine, but the piano and the rest is so friggin' weird that I can't get over it. The problem could be that Haege's vocals don't match the song. Throw in the chanting by the creepy girls, and then his singing is out of time with the track.
"Savage Boutique" is the first song to try out a horn section. I think it’s a trumpet, possibly two, there also might by a banjo, and that has me thinking I’m in a bayou. If it’s not a banjo, it’s just a neat way to play the guitar. The vocals are pretty hardcore considering that the song is not. It slows down for the chorus, but the vocals in the verse were kind of funny to me at first when Haege first started to sing.
"The Salted Tongue" is pretty chill, almost reminding me of Bedouin Soundclash. I didn’t see the comparison coming either, but it did. The music on this one is totally wicked though, and I think that’s the main reason that I like it. The vocals are solid as well, but this is the first time the band has really stood out. All around, it seems this band is pretty talented. This track isn't the greatest to me, but I do know swarms of people that would go apeshit over it and I know talent when I hear it.
That was some good, now for some more suck, "Everything In Letter" sort of sounds like if you were spacing out and you were to hear a song in the background, it would probably be this one -- or at least the musical portion -- because it’s fucking trippy as balls. I don't really like that part, so the song is ruined for me.
"The Days and Nights of Lust and Presumption” is a short song that’s a little off, at only about one minute and twenty seconds long. The guitar riff is just two chords at two different intervals, but that’s it; then there’s Haege's vocals, with him singing the whole song. They have a filter on it or something, because it sounds like he is a bit far away. And then it’s over. Good song for people with A.D.D.
Guitar starts off “Imitation Flesh” and I must say that I like it a lot. It’s probably my favourite track out of the eleven. There is a jarring sound at the end, which I can only imagine is keyboards. It’s not really what I would like to see people do with keyboards, but since this song is so good I'm down for letting it slide that there is something mildly irritating for twenty seconds or so.
Album closer "Walk With Caution” is crazy, starting with Haege singing "do we walk with caution?" After he does this a few times, some music kicks in that is unlike anything else that has been on the disc. It’s almost something you might expect to hear in church. There’s almost this feeling of bells sounding off, and it almost feels holy. I don't know what else to say other than I was not expecting this track to appear on this disc anywhere. It’s not a song I hate or anything; in fact, part of its appeal is how different it is from everything else here. They have even included a choir on the track, to further confuse me.
Tracks to Hear: "Walk With Caution", "Imitation Flesh", "The Salted Tongue", "Savage Boutique", "Beauty"
Will I look for 31Knots again in the future?
Do I think other people will like this album more than me?
Score: 6.9
Probably not the best album for me to review, but that’s okay because I didn't hate it. It’s when I hate the album that I think Dan is mad at me. Regardless, this album was decent despite the fact I couldn't always enjoy the track because of “complications,” which worked out okay in the end if you ask me.
- Brandon