A knotty, nervy, and often cryptic set of post-punk/psych-pop math jams, the debut studio album from the Halifax-based quartet is as compelling as it is elusive. The product of Canadian independent music scene makers Mark Grundy (Quaker Parents), his twin brother Scott Grundy (
Monomyth), Cheryl Hann (Old and Weird), and Nathan Doucet (Crosss),
Kill Your Memory draws from a deep well of oddball influences, invoking the works of a wide array of fringe-dwelling artists like Cate LeBon,
Syd Barrett,
Devo,
Ultimate Painting,
Os Mutantes,
Field Music,
Pavement, and
Talking Heads. There are hooks aplenty, but those earworms are dispersed erratically, popping in and out of the listener's radar like rogue submarines with malfunctioning cloaking devices. Opener "Subliminal" is introduced with an elliptical,
Pixies-ish melody that undergoes multiple face lifts as the song progresses. That penchant for melodic de-construction is present throughout the 11-track set, with the band employing shifty time signatures and incredibly complex, often jazz-tinged guitar parts, while the Grundy siblings wax laconically, yet always verbosely, over the wreckage. Other standouts include the fuzzed-out, hook-driven "No One Knows Here," the Soweto-tinged "Known Steps in Directions Unknown," and the propulsive closer "Misfire." Taking it all in in one sitting can be a challenge, but multiple spins reveal a fully functioning universe that becomes increasingly familiar as one's ear-holes begin to acclimate to the pressure changes. ~ James Christopher Monger