McMahan certainly has with this third release by the For Carnation, aband that has featured Dave Pajo, John Herndon, Doug McCombs, and BradWood. This time around, the principal players are different yet again-- save Brian's brother Michael, who also played on "Marshmallows" --and the guestlist is interesting to say the least (Britt Walford fromSlint, Kim Deal, Rachel Haden to name a few). Behind the knobs thistime as well adding some flourishes here and there is John McEntire,whose presence adds credibility to any release these days. It's notneeded here, though, as what's important is the power of these songs.Gone are the days of "rocking out" that McMahan exhibited in Slint, butdon't think for a second that he's lost his edge. These songs are atonce beautiful, menacing, soothing, and frightening. Imagine a recordthat can completely relax you but still scare the shit out of you. Andthe lyrics! The finest McMahan's ever written. When he speaks "Child --go back inside/where is your father now?" on "A Tribute To" you feelhis concern, his fear, his anger, and his detachment, all in one line.I heard the description "imagine if Slint made a trip-hop record."Don't believe the hype. Yes, there are some sampling and electronicexperiments here and there, but this record is far from trip-hop.Instead, McMahan is proving that his music isn't just getting better,it's becoming more vital than Slint ever was. Brilliant.samples:
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