The Oakland California trio Replicator ignite their debut album with an instrumental that puts the rock into rocket. Slow burn smouldering dual note guitar atmospherics soon zoom boldly skyward with big brash jettison chords that'd make Trans Am's Red Line go green. For the next six songs they twist and turn through angular song forms with clipped vocals which couple melodic hooks with a complexity which is forceful but never forced. The hard hitting precision production from Shellac bassist Bob Weston gives equal weight to every aspect of Replicator's sound, and might just get them a few more Shellac comparisons than they otherwise would get, but they are definite fans of that band and at times employ similarly dynamic song structures.
However they have a stronger melodic sensibility that on 'Strategery' recalls an angrier Poster Children and on 'Motivationally Challenged' they remind me how good the first Archers of Loaf album was. Replicator play with an engaging energy and exuberance on their songs but it's the three instrumental tracks that really fire me up. The mournful guitar on 'Journey to the End of the Night part II' rises to another crescendo that doesn't quite erupt like the opening '(No More) Salted Beef' did but sounds just fine even so. The long goodbye of their 'Taxi Driving' finale couples a moving piano melody with tub thump drums and a backwards rotor loop betrays a Flaming Lips influence, and perhaps opens the door to more experimentation with their sound next time round?
 
 
samples:
- Check the Replicator site for downloads of three "Winterval" tracks.
 
Read More
