The Panoply Academy, "Everything Here Was Built to Break"

Though they would alter their name for each variation on the group(going from The Panoply Academy Glee Club to Corps of Engineers toLegionnaires), their sound remained essentially intact: spiralingsong-structures, angular hooks, and a sense of stylistic ADD. Presentedin reverse chronological order, Everything Here Was Built to Breakwillbe a welcome addition to any fan of the band. “Nom de Plume” opensthings up, slowly swelling to a crescendo of pounded piano, clean toneguitar picking, and trembling vocals while “Comfort,”matches prog-metal guitar chords with near operatic singing,interspersed with harsh post-punk scratches. These two previouslyunreleased songs  showcase what the group was best at:post-hardcore styleguitar interplay and intricate drumming with a foot solidly grounded inpost-rock dynamics. Taken with another unreleased track, “Please Stray/Look Us in the Eyes,” (all three were intended to run together in alive setting) it seems clear that The Panoply Academy’s best attributeswere their ability to take seemingly disparate strains and make themmatch as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Working it’sway further into the past; the compilation reveals the beginnings ofThe Panoply Academy to be far more rooted in the bratty energy ofNation of Ulysses and Cap‘n Jazz then the more complex sound theywould pursue on their later recordings. “Remedial Symmetry” featuresmetronome precise drumming and a brain damaged seesaw guitar riff thatpropels the song ahead. These songs are great in their own right, butwhen they follow more polished efforts from the compilations firsthalf, it has a negative effect of making them seem inferior, ratherthen the basis for what was to come. Perhaps the most interestingaddition on Everything Here Built Was Built to Break is theinclusion of several covers the band recorded throughout their career.Their version of Nick Drake’s “Harvest Breed” manages to avoid a roteimitation by imbuing the song with a cold, electro heart. Meanwhile,their cover of Supertramp’s “Dreamer/ Crime of the Century” ishysterical, complete with gung-ho operatic vocals and anenthusiastically bashed piano solo. Most surprising though is theirtreatment of Country Joe and the Fish’s “I Feel Like I’m Fixing to DieRag” from Exotic Fever’s Don’t Know When I’ll Be Back Again Vietnam vetbenefit. The band strips the song of it’s jaunty country sound andinstead turns it into a slow funeral dirge while managing to keep allof the dark humor of the original intact. Secretly Canadian has done agreat service for fans who would be unlikely to find any of these songselsewhere. But for the rest of us who weren’t there sweating along tothem in a basement during their various tours of the US, it might beadvisable to start with the proper albums first, before seeking thisout.

samples:

• Nom De Plum
• Fixin to Die Rag
• Remedial Symmetry