Review Summary: "Camus clearly got up on the wrong side of bed, and Robbins must have forgotten to set the alarm."
I've always reluctantly thought that some successful artists must sometimes end up restraining themselves as musicians; bands that end up repeating formulae that worked with past efforts, subsequently restricting themselves from exploring the potential of an entirely different band within. Sure, a group certainly shouldn't have to change the overall feel of their music to prove diversity, and nor should they force a new aesthetic into their sound to make them seem more sincere. But it comes as a blessing then, that La Dispute are a group that have happily switched off their distortion pedals and left the perfections of the studio in favour of delving into a different musical realm. The product of such a decision evolved into the modest
Here, Hear EP series - though the beginning of which,
Here, Hear, clearly portrays the band wandering warily into uncertain territory.
A variety of different and experimental instrumentation are played with, from 'two stainless steel eating utensils' to 'a soda bottle disguised as glitch electronics', examples of some of the interestingly quirky aspects the EP is dotted with, however in reality they add little to the whole of the sound. “One” however effectively uses a melodica to add an optimistic trait to adorn the piece and its contemplative feel – contrasting the other tracks which typically carry a more melancholy tone. Throughout the very brief period the EP hangs around for La Dispute steer well clear of complications, everything is kept simplistic and unintimidating. The bulk of
Here, Hear is made up of vocalist Jordan Dreyer reciting spoken-word excerpts from poetry, novels and even a myth, which in true La Dispute fashion are all delivered enticingly and cleverly. But therein lies the problem - this simplistic instrumental back-drop is drained of all colour the group are so capable of creating, and as a result, the clever vocals that should glimmer and sparkle over the top are robbed of their shine.
This can, on the other hand, be effective – as proved in “Four”, which tells the tale of a king who denies his daughter of meeting the man she fell in love with if she does not work for her father. “Four” is sorrowful acoustically driven piece that is joined by a desolate vocal rendition of the said myth which suitably echoes the track's ominous atmosphere. Dynamic contrast is scarcely used, much of the tracks maintaining a similar volume, the only real exception on “Three” where Dreyer breaks the trend of spoken word to unleash his familiar wailing, this time the lyrical shouts are based upon Edgar Allen Poe's poem, “Annabel Lee”. Ultimately though,
Here, Hear pales in comparison to its successors, unfortunately lacking the flair that La Dispute seemed to weave effortlessly into
II and
III. Yet this is still remains consistent release, no one track vividly stealing the spotlight. But therefore no one track is able to excel La Dispute's sound, and no one track is truly able to prove what they are certainly capable of.
Here, Hear is just a stepping stone.
