Review Summary: A progressive band for math nerds, or a math rock band for...regular nerds?
Do you LOVE Rush? Do you LOVE Don Caballero? Do you LOVE Spanish people? If you answered yes to any of these things,
Pomeroy by Jardin de la Croix is the album you need to hear! A rather unknown progressive math rock group hailing from Spain, Jardin de la Croix manage to craft complicated, meticulous and rather ridiculous songs all while containing the appeal of a hard rock band from the 70’s, and then add in the occasional sense of grandeur and epicness to hit that sweet spot. Sound enticing?
The opening track, “Polyhedron”, is one of the most stunning songs of the year. Featuring nearly 9 minutes of swirling guitar notes and riffs, complex drumming, and a constantly changing sound, your ears will be tired just trying to keep up with all the madness going on around you. It’s devoid of any kind of vocal presence, but the guitar interplay often creates enough warmth to make up for the lack of a relatable voice. The song even ends with a very well done cover of the solo from Rush’s “Freewill”, which while not only cementing the fact that Rush is certainly the greatest band ever worldwide, also serves as a nice tip of the hat to an act that so obviously influenced the band greatly.
The rest of the songs are similar affairs in the sense they are all intertwining, math-y numbers. Songs ebb and swell based on the actions of the guitarists, whose interplay is so well done it may as well be just one crazy guitar track the whole time. The rhythm section provides a solid backbone for the guitarists to go nuts over, never detracting from the obvious highlight of the album but each giving their own respectable performances. In particular, “Antioquia” sets itself apart from the rest of the album, as its well drawn out intro reaches into the realms of the spacey as the guitarists deviate from the melodies and techniques they use often throughout the album to craft a song that is very original and unique.
That brings us to the negative thing about the album, which is that within its 42 minute run time, the record can begin to sound a bit stale. The problem with this type of math-rock is that many times a similar sound is breached even when on paper it should be completely different. Sections of
Pomeroy begin to sound so similar, there are times when you will wonder what song you are really on. The songs can also reach a bit too far in length, as only so much shred can be given before you pine for something else.
However, if you’re just in the mood for some good ‘ol fashioned instrumental rock n’ roll, you are in luck. For all the math elements Jardin de la Croix implement, the sound is still hard-edged and readily accessible. Within all the weird time signatures and the tempo shifts and the long winded song structures are tons of goodies for listeners to latch onto and enjoy, and for being a debut there is a surprising sense of self and awareness on the album.
Pomeroy is a fantastic blend of hard rock elements with math-rock, and you would do well to check out this little band from Spain on the next chance you get.
You can download the whole album (for free and legally) at http://www.filefactory.com/file/01319e/n/Jard_n_de_la_Croix_-_Pomeroy_rar.
