Rating: 4 Pulses
It seems that Bobby Holland, Louis Keller and Charlie Blevins have released little information on themselves?very little.
Yet, the music speaks for itself. The trio from the Murfreesboro/Nashville area has released Fleeting through 3-Ply records pulling together a unique, almost mystical progressive-rock sound reminiscent of Sunny Day Real Estate, Muse, Starsailor and Radiohead.
The sound pulls together a large range of different progressions, obscure oddities in the background and unabashed rhythms. The music lingers on each note like it has been practiced thoroughly to portray a feeling of desperate need, almost the dire struggle for completeness.
The intricate mix of the gloomy, seductive soundscapes with the feel of weighty guitar playing and prog-rock-style virtuosity brings the album full circle, leaving a world of disconsolate rock. The brooding, delicate feeling gives the album much diversity, almost just enough room to incorporate their quirky, obscure structures with textured layers of progressive indie sound. The fiery, lyrical nature of the songs are constructed to deliver an intricate setting of passionate, aggressive feeling filled with underlying philosophical demeanor. The sound is hauntingly familiar at times, yet leaves the listener grasping for a strong foothold amidst the band’s obscure passages, but the vague storylines do not narrow the overall message, but merely allow the listener to bring to the table a large range of interpretation.
Holland’s guitar playing presents delicate, yet trembling, fierce intricacies while his vocals balance a swooning style with high spirit. The precise bass of Keller pulls solid weight while Blevins plays with rhythmic daring.
This latest release is a new prototype for music in the Nashville/Murfreesboro scene, pushing boundaries with songs such as “Fleeting” and “Do Not Fear” as it delivers an almost paralyzing effect with upfront lyrics pulling apart our insides of old bitter wars within ourselves, while “All the Same” cries out over sullen piano banter and off-beat rhythmic patterns, pulling comparisons together of guilt and passion in society.
Ethan Swim finds its place though climatic effects and brilliant valiance. At times, the vocals are almost undecipherable, and some of the changes in tempo that sometimes lead to an abrupt ending are sometimes undesirable, but overall, the mystical and emotional force is generally superb, inviting the listener into a world of apologetic sympathies and creative expansion. The crafty, diverse songwriting coupled with strong, intricate melodies makes Ethan Swim’s Fleeting one of the most worthy, as well as one of the most experimental, albums the area has seen in quite some time.
