What I appreciate most about the latest full length release fromMontreal's Fly Pan Am is their ability to crank out layered drones andpunchy rhythms which form the solid foundation for near guitar andkeyboard thrashings to play off and still keep it generallyinteresting. The ten tracks on N'Ecoutez Pasvary from straight ahead arrangements heavy with distortion to moredrawn out freeform pursuits that teeter on the brink of chaos, at timesinvolving spoken word tape splicing and other assorted noises. The morestructured tracks "Brûlez suivant, suivante!", "Pas à pas step until"and "Vos rêves revers" include the expected stacked guitars with coolchord voicing and quirky syncopated drumming that I've come toappreciate. At times, I think my ears trick me into hearing brief bitsof Motown soul in some of the bass lines. Still, it adds to theconstant underlying musical tension that's heightened by whisperedvocals, which although in French, are just as effective in creating asense of anxiety regardless of the lyrics. The lengthy "Très très'retro' " builds on the repetition of steady rhythms and distortedkeyboard stabs with slight variation for what seems like the group'sentire arsenal of guitar pedals, patch effects and the kitchen sink toplay off. At eleven minutes, including a break for what sounds likepopping balloons and distant organ drones, the less-is-more approachmay have been a lot more effective and held my undivided attention. Atthe other end of the spectrum, the brief and sparse composition "Exéleveur de renards argentes" left me wanting to hear more of itstwitchy guitar, eerie piano, highway sounds and spoken word layering,all presented with a very musique concrête touch. Again in the brevitydepartment, "Le faux pas aimer vous souhaite d'être follement ami" isthe trashy rocker complete with cheerleading chants that ran its coursebefore I could translate the title based on my poor retention of highschool French. With the exception of some lengthy guitar explorations, N'Ecoutez Pashas Le Fly Pan Am broadening the musical pallet and honing their skillsof pulling off modern compositions within traditional rockinstrumentation.Read More
