With the term "progressive" taking a beating lately, considering the broad ways in which it is defined and the casualness with which it is invoked, it's no surprise that a band citing Sunny Day Real Estate and the Mars Volta as influences would claim to be prog. I'm not so sure the New England dudes in God & Country are correct in that self-assessment, but as former players in the hardcore scene who stripped their early sound down to its psychedelic essence on the debut CD Molloch, this quartet deserves credit for creativity.
Yet just because the drone of opener "Human Rites" conjures comparisons to early Pink Floyd doesn't mean God & Country should (or will) win over serious proggers. Rather, Molloch is a noisy album for young hipsters who think anything that takes musical chances and sounds neither "mainstream" nor "alternative" must be "progressive" – even if it's more like "screamo" and "hardcore." Whatever. Enough with the labels.
Simply put, God & Country's experimentation with early Zeppelin and Sabbath riffs, vintage Floyd mannerisms, The Cure's mopiness, and the sonic attitude of Explosions in the Sky and At the Drive-In makes Molloch worth at least one or two spins. Just don't call it prog.
Track Listing:
1) Human Rites
2) An American Dreaming
3) And Where You Are Is Where You Are Not
4) Strong Crosses
5) The Future Is History
6) Ghost Town
7) The Band News
8) Last Rites
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
