Three years ago, British post rock trio Parachute For Gordo impressed with their mini album Ten Metres Per Second Per Second; its instrumental adventures increasingly captivating vehicles for the imaginations of band and listener alike. Now they have returned with its successor Possibility of Not and an evolution in songwriting and composing which had bred the band’s boldest, most bracing yet creatively composed escapades yet.
With new drummer Mark Glaister alongside original members in guitarist Laura Lee and bassist John Harvey, Aldershot hailing Parachute For Gordo escaped to the mountains of Austria for a weekend last year to record Possibility of Not. Whether the assumed isolation their DIY pop-up studio was set up in has been part of the incitement breeding the outfit’s most intimate and refined yet instinctively raw exploration yet only the band can say but certainly there seems a richer and thicker atmospheric depth and boldness going hand in hand with the threesome’s pushing of their creative boundaries. Where Ten Metres Per Second Per Second was a leap on from debut EP Eight Minutes Of Weightlessness of 2012, Possibility of Not enjoys another step forward in all aspects without losing that organic brashness almost punk bred cacophonous heart which has already set their music out from the post rock incubated crowd.
Jellied Eels opens things up, its initial melodic shimmer a crystaline enticement like a window on a warm and inviting yet stark landscape. Whether it is the pre-knowledge of where the band recorded the album or the track itself, its post rock investigation only sparks thoughts of beauty strapped isolation and the intimacy of thought and emotion such surroundings can inspire. It is a mesmeric piece, that raw essence of the band’s music invasive to temper but equally compliment the sweeping grace of the melodic exploration being woven within it.
The following Anemone to Manatee has a more volatile and intrusive presence from its first breath but equally greater flirtation of joyful revelry in its energetic shuffle further accentuated by infrequent but welcome bursts of vocal incitement. With Lee’s guitar almost carving out its melodic portrait like a post punk steeled knife on canvas and Harvey’s bass going on a throaty groove lined dance as Glaister’s swings with each passing minute take greater relish in their jabs, the outstanding track tantalises from beginning to end; an emerging Fire Engines like discordance only adding to its might.
A mellower tone frequents next up Wallet Moth, every trait strolling with a lighter air as flames of melodic dexterity leave suggestive trails like reflection sharing comets. That previously mentioned intimacy is no more powerful than on the third track, it’s weaves of sound and textures magnetic glimpses into the song’s emotive heart before Gopher the Throat floats across the senses being driven by tribal beats and aboriginal like bass textures. Instantly absorbing ears and thoughts, the track is another dance of intimation and enterprise, the trio conjuring a piece of intrigue and adventure sure to be different for each individual but a creative emprise for all.
There is no escaping the fun and demanding stimulation of Cornholio Slaps the Goose, the track a funk assed, indie pop infused romp of swinging beats and infection spewing grooves unbridled in its hunger to have feet and hips indulging in its primal catchiness. Dips into dub spawned tenacity only adds to the virulent exploits toying and seducing the senses as the track grabs best track status though it is continually challenged with every listen of Possibility of Not.
The album is brought to an equally fine end by Put your hands up if you like Sloths, an eight minute plus saunter into imagined mysterious deeds inspired by its cosmic radiance and cinematic hooks. They grab ears and the imagination like a sticky web of lures rather than making a more imposingly direct attack but with the same inescapable outcome, the listener trapped and basking in its highly suggestive soundscape.
With their music Parachute For Gordo find a more insular terrain to explore than other post rock flights of imagination though certainly Possibility of Not breaks into broader challenges too but it is that more intimate feel which sets the band apart from most, that and their undoubted craft and maybe slightly deranged imagination. Accompanied by a video for each song which together provides a visual experience as potent as the aural one, Possibility of Not deserves plenty of your attention especially if post rock and bands like The Mars Volta and The Fall Of Troy are to your taste.
Possibility of Not is out now through Rose Coloured Records @ https://parachuteforgordo.bandcamp.com/album/possibility-of-not and http://www.rosecoloured.com/parachute-for-gordo
http://www.parachuteforgordo.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ParachuteForGordo/ https://twitter.com/parachutefgordo
Pete RingMaster 18/04/2017
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
A virulently gripping start to the album, it is magnetically backed up by Aches and Veins. A less agitated encounter to its predecessor but no lightweight on math rock ingenuity as skittish rhythms link up with jazzier flirtations of guitar and bass, the song also brews its own slightly tempestuous crescendos of energy and drama. Like The Fall of Troy meets Young Knives, ears and feet are gripped in no time then passed over to the similarly explosive and virulent Bob’s Logs. Again the just mentioned Leicestershire trio come to mind, they the most regular hint we can use to the creative tapestry spun by Bear Makes Ninja across Shenanagrams. The three pronged vocal persuasion is especially alluring in the third track, radiating with character and harmonic charm from within the at times thickly busy climate of the track.
Since emerging in 2010,They Say Fall has been luring in loyal fans and acclaim, though arguably it was when the line-up of band founders, guitarist/vocalist Kyle Leeman, drummer Joseph Sleight, and bassist/vocalist Tom Manning were joined by lead vocalist Kehn Gembalczyk, and guitarist/vocalist/programmer Brad Bishell in 2012, that band and sound creatively ignited. Since then a trio of EPs and a slew of singles and songs have sparked enthused spotlights whilst seeing an evolution in their original pop punk sound. Live too the band has been a growing force with a reputation to match, shows with the likes of with Madina Lake, While She Sleeps, InMe, Fearless Vampire Killers, and Elliot Minor, as well as playing last year’s Download Festival on their growing CV. Seemingly ahead of a new EP, Deadlights is the new They Say Fall assault and a thrilling incitement to boot.
left behind by the intensive fire of Caloric. Guitars are soon searing the air and teasing the ears whilst the excellent vocals offer a distinct acidic inventiveness too. A scorching sonic bedlam sounding like the deviant cousin to a merger between Blood Brothers and At The Drive In, the track whips up a frenzy of exhausting beauty and predacious energy courted by a crazed craft and mouth-watering invention. Bass and drums sculpt a web upon it which just seduces the passions whilst the guitars weave a ridiculously easy to be addicted to expanse of aural narrative which the excellent vocals and harmonies dance impressively along.
welcoming a second strand of melodic acidity, again restrained and gentle in its touch though behind it there is a brewing presence and sinister electronic breath. Suddenly the song explodes into a tsunami of energy, rhythms cracking viciously on the ear whilst the guitars score and sear flesh though spirals of sonic fire and senses splicing corrosive predation. The vocals equally cut and scar though at times offering great melodic and harmonic mercury which makes for a mesmeric mellow union. The track is best described as The Dillinger Escape Plan and Kabul Golf Club meets Converge and The Fall Of Troy, though that only gives a whisper of the unique tempest of sound and invention working voraciously away and the psyche.
Signs Point To Yes, the first full track immediately soaks the ear in strong vocals and fiery melodic enterprise from the guitars, their touch acidic around the great vocal delivery of Morrison a strong appealing blaze veined by the rhythmic sinews of Foy who in turn is aided by the throaty prowl of Savage. As the song proceeds and the progressive flames of Morrison and Monks explore the air you feel loud whispers of Mars Volta amidst the impressive venture being craved out. Not the most instant and infectious of the tracks making up the EP but it is nevertheless a strong and inviting start.