A Lesson in Restraint could well have been the title of this album, instead of that of its closer. Indeed Jakob are here masterful in many moments of subdued, subtle tension, again with their delightful combination of delayed, low ended nuanced guitars atop fairly involved drumming. The delicate opening announces this very clearly, 3 being another strong example. Unfortunately, and partly but not only due to prod, I do think the few more epxlosive and aggressive moments are clearly a tier or two below the rest, including on 3. The album also meanders a fair bit on its second half, which is nowhere near as captivating. 8 showcases both of those flaws quite well, though it also has the fun aspect of being a prequel to Malachite with a glimpse of its riff being shown near the end. A band that is masterful at part of their craft makes for a fairly uneven record with beautiful, inspiring moments, and other that are slightly unconvincing in comparison. 3.65
Bump |
