Many moons ago I stumbled upon a review of
Whet that stated something like “As soon as I saw Broken Water live and saw the drummer decked out in an Unwound shirt, I knew I’d like these guys.” This had a similar effect on me, as I knew I would like
Whet as soon as I read the review from a guy who knew he’d like them when he saw the drummer’s Unwound shirt. If reading a review from a guy who read a review from a guy who knew he’d like Broken Water as soon as he saw the drummer’s Unwound shirt makes you happy, then guess how you’ll feel about
Whet?
So yeah, Broken Water sound a bit like Unwound. Not nearly as much as you’d gather from that introduction, though. They lack the precision and the urgency, resembling more of a sludge-drenched My Bloody Valentine. In fact, the opening riff to “Say What’s On Your Mind” recalls a heavily inverted “Only Shallow”, complete to a T with alternating male-female vocals.
Comparisons to groundbreaking bands of yesteryear end there, however. Where shoegaze twinkles
Whet groans, and where post-punk rattles, Broken Water glides. It’s slow, it’s fuzzy, it’s quite ugly sounding, to be frank, but it’s some of the best indie rock of its ilk you’ll hear this side of the millennium.
