This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Album Reviews
Album Review: Grammatics – Grammatics (Dance To The Radio)
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 23 March 2009
I’m ever sceptical of a band which describes its album as an “art-rock opus”. Surely this phrase in any right mind conjures up pretension of the highest degree. But of course, we don’t judge by words, the music must speak for itself. Unfortunately, it seems “art-rock opus” is an accurate description. The problem with Grammatics is that they just can’t help themselves. Take single ‘Shadow Committee’, which begins as a pleasant cowbell-toting math rock number with gracious nods to Foals. Then it delves into a string section in the chorus. Of course this is an attempt to be original, which you can’t fault them for. It’s just that it doesn’t work in the slightest, coming off as an attempt to cram another genre into an already full kaleidoscope of variety. Other tracks fare better such as ‘Inkjet Lakes’, which uses sweeping walls of echo to pad out an elegiac chorus in which both male and female voices cleverly interlock. An equally impressive track is the strumalong ‘Broken Wing’, with tasteful and poignant harmonies. Yet it descends in the finale to an epic droning post-rock angst-off which clashes disastrously with the delicate acoustic. You can’t fault Grammatics for ideas. They have math-rock fretwork, folk strumming, sweeping synth and string accompaniments. All these inspirations sound great in their own right. But it’s not what you have, it’s what you do with it. Their desire to force every single one of their ideas into this album results in some gems, but mostly confusion. GB
Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon
