Review Summary: Have you ever wondered where the “Deathconsciousness” follow-up was?
On “Ear to Ear”, experimental rock band Ransom Scenery have captured the apocalyptic aura of desperate post-punk through, at times, jaw-dropping compositions and daring instrumentation. Both their sonic and songwriting approaches are unbelievably varied, hurling surprises at you throughout nearly every track, while wrapping it up in a tight, almost darkwave-esque frame. The sinister, percussive breaks in the front half of tribal influenced masterpiece “Just Tour” are impressive, and lead you to airy, melodic hooks stacked against a gloom-wave symphony that sounds like Interpol covered Clan of Xymox. “Holozoic” is the logical successor to the laptop post-punk popularized by Have a Nice Life on their beloved 2008 LP. The hooks and riffs swirl through your headphones beneath a collage of pronounced bass lines, precise instrumental layering and ambient noise, channeling HANL but never seeming derivative in any way. The chorus is enormous. An infectious vocal melody coincides with a breathtaking keyboard/synth backing to then meet its end with an equally catchy post-punk lick. Remarkable to say the least.
“Gasm of the Heart” follows the genius “Holozoic” with a much softer, almost dream pop like song craft. The percussion is still pounding in the background but is delicate this time, matching the almost ballad-like approach which is further explored on the next song, the MBV inspired, 8 minute “All My”. It starts sort of like a B-Side to “Gasm” but then meets a strange interlude which climaxes with a shoegaze-oriented sound design that is undeniable bliss. It fades out into “Pop Scripture”, which is a fast paced electronic based track that is nearly defined by its maddening samples and memorable drum machine chugs. This conclusion best describes what “Ear to Ear” is, a sonic title wave of shoegaze, post-punk and darkwave that shifts adventurously between your ears, so as to provide a uniform sound of sorts, but one that always throws fresh ideas at you.
Unfortunately, the one blunder of “Ear to Ear” is it’s hit/miss entrance to the record. Opener “Slowly Spinning” contains the instrumental prowess present in the later tracks, but doesn’t do much it’s in 3 minute run time to impress beyond its composition. Closer “Pop Scripture” is the companion piece to this opener, but is far more interesting from a songwriting perspective. “Driplove” is whacky, with multiple samples and a circus-themed midsection, but feels a bit out-of-place as the second track, and could have been used more effectively perhaps as a mid-album interlude. It doesn’t sound proper sandwiched between “Slowly Spinning” or “My Golden Shield”, but easily could have been a transition piece.
Ransom Scenery have created an atmospherically challenging, mysterious and shamelessly catchy post-punk record that swims into territory that hundreds of aspiring garage punk bands have yet to traverse. Dark synths, angular bass lines, swooning vocal melodies, idiosyncratic sampling and even a jarring sax break in “My Golden Shield” are the kinds of things that define Ransom Scenery’s approach to rock music: astounding variation. But what is refreshing here is that the impressive experimentation is elevated by dazzling, top-tier songwriting. The true “Deathconsciousness” sequel has arrived, and it’s name is “Ear to Ear”.
