Crombie - "Forest Walk" - This Generation Tapes
Here’s another review originally posted via The Gumshoe Revue, my ill-fated venture into publishing. I actually ended up reviewing this album for Tiny Mix Tapes as well, and that review was probably better (read it HERE).
But hey, a nice album (probably deserved better than the 3/5 I gave it) deserves attention. Oh, and I mentioned RADIOHEAD! Ahhh, the naivety of semi-youth …
Read:
Crombie
Forest Walk …
This Generation Tapes
Description: A high-minded project with roots in modern jazz and the more mellow constituents of post-rock, Crombie‘s Forest Walk … toes the line between the skittery beats of the electronic scene and the mellow environs of ambient Enovision, often including both within the same composition.
Cursing the creative “limitations” of guitar for the most part, Crombie cull their art from disparate sources such as vibes, bass, field recordings, sub-skronk tears of static and the various bleeps and blops that have become common in the work of groups wide-ranging as M83, Boom Bip, Secret Mommy and even out-and-out atmospheric rock bands like Audio Ovni and Radiohead.
What alternately bolsters and blights the growth of Forest Walk … as a movement is its solemn dedication to a singular mood. Quiet, sultry avenues lead to increasingly rhythm-driven passages that etch a fresh sketch on the template of instrumental music, but those in search of escalation in the classic sense will be left holding the bag. Which isn’t to say this is a drawback, but rather a cold, hard fact that somewhat limits the scope of possibilities for this even-keeled ensemble.
Another minor snfu is the bass; whether produced by a guitar or a synth, it serves its purpose, providing a scented bed for the many diversions of Crombie, but its inflection (save the bulbous boost it lends “Miranda”) and lack of immediacy is lukewarm at best, lending the unwelcome feel of progressive jazz – the bad kind – and sounding out of place when juxtaposed with so many shimmering futuristic elements.
Offsetting this flaw, the vibrant, digitally altered beats allow the din of effects to swirl around them while offering an attraction themselves with unexpected snare dashes and tinny clangs that could nary be achieved by a flesh ’n’ blood drummer alone.
Weighed down by subtle – albeit consistant – flaws, Crombie, with lynchpins such as “Tea Tray” touching upon the spectre of prog and the splendor of solid math, set the bar to the sky on the more grandiose trails of Forest Walk …, daring others to follow their uneven path through the woods. This reviewer’s guess is that many will, only to be ambushed by Crombie’s sophomore effort once they set up camp. [ 7.6 ] GP
