Review Summary: Combining gentle post-rock with buzzy rock riffs, Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start show more capability than craft with their second full-length effort.
Taking their name from what I can only guess is a cheat code for a video game on the Sega Genesis, Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start is a post-rock group from the U.K. that explores the heavier side of the genre. The best way I can describe this band would be to say that it combines the post-rock efforts of Explosions in the Sky with the thin distorted guitar lines of the Smashing Pumpkins, and overall, the sound they create is very interesting. While trying to combine two different styles of music, does Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start succeed in creating a unique post-rock sound?
Right after the short ambient intro,
Embers kicks off with the album’s best track, “Get To The Chopper”. The song starts with some slow guitars jangles, then the drums comes in before the whole band explodes into a flurry of fuzzy guitar distortion. The song then tastefully swirls back and forth between subdued ambience and crusty rock riffs. The structure of the song is really inspired and the mixtures of sounds enjoyably flow into one another as the song progresses, then it all comes to an end with some slightly distorted bass playing over a glitchy drum beat and some guitar swellings. Overall, “Get To The Chopper” is an engrossing song that exemplifies a well-done mix of post-rock with distorted riffs, and the band succeeds in creating a unique offering.
But, unfortunately, this is where the album takes a turning point: the downfall of
Embers is that nothing else even comes close the stylistic mixture and creative nature of “Get To The Chopper”. Other such similar songs on the album that go for a more post-rock/heavy rock mix, “McDoomish” and “Fireflies”, don’t sound anywhere near as tight or as interesting as “Get To The Chopper”, as they have a hard time setting a proper feel and end up sounding really uninteresting and amateurish. While the songs have some interesting parts here and there, they are completely forgettable and sound very underdeveloped in terms of ideas.
And while there are a handful of heavier post-rock songs, the majority of
Embers features more traditional post-rock songs, but the main problem is that the band’s straight-forward post-rock sound just isn’t unique or original enough. While “Our Flowers”, “Murmurs Pt. 2” and “Cascades” are all enjoyable songs, they sound
so similar to Explosions in the Sky, right down to song structures and guitar tones, that it’s hard to give the band merit for their efforts. I can’t deny that they’re good songs, but I just can’t help but shake my head throughout as I am helplessly reminded of another band entirely while listening to them. Finally, the closer and the album’s longest song, “The Creeping Fear”, sounds interesting, but the song is so disjointed that it sounds like an impromptu jam session instead of a real fleshed-out song.
After listening to
Embers, I can’t really admit that I fully enjoyed it, but I will be the first to admit that this band has loads of potential. Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start have a knack for writing a solid, interesting post-rock song; it’s just that they have to flesh out more of their style in the process instead of trying to sound like someone else.
Embers is a good effort, but ultimately, it’s more of a sign of what’s to come rather than a current showcase of solid, unique talent.
