Easter - Innocence Man
- Written by Steve McGillivray
There's so much more to Manchester than a certain band getting back together. It's a shame that mainstream music press seem to focus solely on Mr Squire and his pals because if they delve a little deeper they'd find a band called Easter. The four piece deal in alternative rock and have a fresh, feedback heavy sound that's like a breath of fresh air. Innocence Man is the band's debut album and is out now on White Box Recordings. Suffice to say that after having seen Easter live towards the end of 2011, I was fairly excited about this album.
'Somethin' American' kicks things off in a wail of feedback and distortion, setting the tone for much of the album. There's a sense of something epic about to unfold within the opening dozen or so seconds of the song before a hazy, melodic lead guitar comes in. A pounding bass and drums kick in and the feedback screeches away over it all in a beautiful cacophony of noise. There's a good live feeling to the album, but given that it was recorded in about five hours, it's no surprise. Vocally, Thomas Long's delivery reminded me of Ian Curtis at times. Not quite as deep and monotone, but almost as stony and just a perfect accompaniment to the music. It's a great, slow burning, intense opener. 'Damp Patch' opens with a warm, fuzzy guitar before crisp drums come in. Again, the melody on the guitar is fantastic, shining out like a beacon amongst the Sebadoh and Sonic Youth-esque feedback. This is the shortest tracks on the six track album, coming in at a mere 3:40 or so, but it's a great song.
The pace picks up a little on 'Pages', where there's a huge nod to the aforementioned Gods of US alt-indie. The guitar sounds excellent, while the bass and drums keep the song skipping along. The vocals add a real pop hook on the chorus of "You ain't seen the best of me". There's a thought to cheer the soul - they may get better in the future! The song then wanders into an instrumental period where the guitar wails and bucks, while the drums ramp up. It's not inconceivable that going from a really good melody and catchy chorus, into a prolonged instrumental may kill a songs momentum, but it just takes this one into new and exciting areas and retains the interest and enjoyment while doing so.
'Begin Again' opens with enough distortion to satisfy the most ardent Jesus & Mary Chain fan before cleaning up to leave a beautifully simple guitar, picking out notes. The vocals are heart wrenching while a guitar wrings out maximum emotion over the whole song. The maturity and heart squeezing beauty of the song are something to behold. A real change of pace but a total winner, especially with the addition of the cello. Superb.
The fuzz is back on he guitars with penultimate song 'Never Me'. The bass sounds nice and beefy, changing the tone of the song as it drops down a key. Underneath it all the guitar wails in a wall of feedback. It's a steady tempo throughout, sounding a little more urgent on the chorus. It's another long one, weighing in at over six minutes but like all good things you won't notice the time - if anything you'll be sad it wasn't longer. Again, the instrumental passages are epic. The whole sound takes on an intensity and power that's a joy to listen to. Then you're dragged back into the vocal part. All in all it's exhilarating stuff, especially when it ends in a wail of noise and feedback.
Closing track 'Holy Island' is a meaty eight minutes plus. A steady guitar riff kicks it off, before an effects laden guitar joins in with the excellent rhythm section. The vocal kicks in and reminds me a little of the best '80s New Wave. There's a brooding intensity to the song, with some very alt-indie guitar riffs hiding in amongst the verses. The tempo is great and will keep you nodding along for the duration. Again, it's very long but you're left feeling it wasn't long enough. The tempo is broken by wailing guitars and crisp drum fills, punctuated by intense moments of feedback, before the song clears up and a guitar picks out some notes. Soon the bass and drums are back, while the guitars sound almost at odds. The beauty of these moments is you can focus on different areas and get something new on repeated listens. At times it's almost experimental but always interesting and that feeling you're there in the room with them is never far away.
It's safe to say I was fairly impressed with this album. I had an idea of what to expect from the live show last year in Edinburgh, but regardless of that I was taken aback by how good a debut album this is. There are clear influences from Sebadoh, Sonic Youth and bands in that sphere of music but Easter are not into mimicry and merely trying to replicate. This is an album of fresh ideas, that says as much in its instrumental moments as it does with its lyrics.
Peer as hard as you like at the various aspects of this record and you will find no weaknesses. The feeling of being there as the album is recorded remains constant and comes from the short time it took to record the record. They've captured their live sound well and the music is darkly beautiful, intense, mature and fragile all at once. In short it's magnificent. If I had to score it out of ten, I'd give it ten and think I wasn't scoring it high enough. Since we don't score albums I'll just say it's a must have for anyone remotely interested in brilliant indie guitar music.