Review Summary: If they can iron out the kinks, Loose Lips Sink Ships could be at the forefront of the new generation of post rock bands.
Despite being yet another band who claim that their music cannot and will not be bound to the ruthless tyrants of genre-tagging (yes, it is getting old), Loose Lips Sink Ships are primarily a post rock band that enjoys stepping on the toes of math and progressive rock. Their debut album ‘Puptent’ is an enjoyable (for the most part) fifty-five minute excursion into the quality that new and upcoming post rock bands are bringing to the genre. While veterans God is an Astronaut and Mogwai may have disappointed with lethargic and wrung out efforts in 2008, there have been a host of fresh-faced post-rock hopefuls creeping out from the behind the shadows of their peers to prove to us, with commendable enthusiasm, that the genre is not dead yet. Loose Lips Sink Ships is one of these bands.
Taking separate elements from traditional post rock acts such as ‘Wood and Wires’, melodic, hook based math rock bands like ‘Piglet’, and those bands that lie somewhere in between, ‘By the End of Tonight’ for example, LLSS have created a sound that, while not being wholly innovative, certainly stands out from the crowd. Opening track, “OK, I’ll Brainstorm”, introduces the band as pretty and listenable post rock in a can, until 3 and a half minutes in distortion blinds the track and the guitars build into an epic climax, producing an impressive opening track. The jamming and tinkering of guitars is expertly handled, and the firepower from their influences is used to great effect. “Meth Is Fun” shows off the band’s mathier, more experimental side, bringing great hooks and catchy melodies to the forefront, which is carried on with “Out to Dinner with Avocado” with quick guitaring and enjoyable drumming, scattered with quiet, instrument-fiddling interludes which provide the leverage for the song to drop in and out of various energy-filled styles.
The record as a whole is let down by the album’s actual interludes and shows the band’s more pretentious side. A side no one really wants to see. “Intro to Jello Junction” just sounds like your girlfriend messing around with your drum machine while “It’s Raining in Chernobyl” is inexplicably annoying, pots and pans being hit with one basic, frustrating melody. While the song titles may indicate this as a band that doesn’t take themselves seriously enough, these silly interludes show a band which take themselves too seriously. Stop ***ing about with pots and pans, get behind the instruments, and make the awesome music you know you can. A few other songs get in the way of making this an excellent debut. “Everything (After A Gasp)” tries to emulate medidative, quiet tracks like “Beware Of Safety”’s ‘Veneklassen’, but fails due to a weak melody being dragged further than it was meant to go. The militaristic drumming almost saves it, but in the end it becomes a throwaway track.
While the constant bobbing and weaving of direction in song structure does make the record more dynamic and interesting, this Illinois four piece need to focus more on melody if they are to get the right balance of listenability and lasting power. If they can make more tracks like “Holy Hot Flash Batman!” which twists and turns with flair but still maintains a rock solid hook, they can’t go far wrong. As for now, this is a very strong debut from yet another one of post rock’s new generation of killer bands. Iron out the kinks and these guys could be coming through leading the pack.
