2001>>>
| With its third record, Portland, Ore’s Wow & Flutter has wisely abandoned its Sonic Youth apprenticeship and moved on to infinitely more fertile ground. Instead of merely setting up an icy melody in order to slam a haywire wrecking ball into it, the wows have adopted a more patient pose. On Better Today Then, the band takes the diving bell down to some murky-yet-sublime depths and finds interesting new passages through the rock with guitarists Cord Amato and Donnie Machado drilling the way forward with diamond-cut precision. Amy Turner’s timely cello strokes add fluttery new textures to the intricate, tectonic process of movement Wow and Flutter seeks to achieve. The slow, processional build is vaguely reminiscent of bands like Rex, Half Film and June Of 44, but the Wows needn’t feel like minor leaguers in this game. Even at this snail’s pace, there’s enough Pink Floyd/Flaming Lips glow surrounding ?Porcelain? and ?Confessions?to keep us from hypothermia.? -John Chandler (Magnet) |
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