Dysrhythmia / Rothko
Fractures
Acerbic Noise Development
Three of a perfect pair
The split format allows exploration of avenues denied on albums, and Dysrhythmia and Rothko take full advantage on Fractures. The former reworks “Earthquake” from 2000’s Contradiction, adding five minutes and making it bigger, badder and better, a 14-minute instrumental behemoth that’s less The Big One and more a series of aftershocks. Rapid-fire percussive peaks alternate with deliberate, throbbing valleys. Jeff Eber’s drums are crisp and colorful as always, but the extended space allows him to toss off loose, spontaneous fills. Kevin Hufnagel’s Strat sounds chewy, yet bright; dig the celestial harmonics in the surprise coda and Colin Marston’s bass has much more presence than on the original; his production matches any the band’s gotten to date—beefy, dynamic and natural-sounding.
Former bass trio (take that, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin!) Rothko make for an unlikely but perfect pairing. While keys and drums flesh out the sound now, the material is still bass-centric. “Tell Your Story to the Winds” is a fascinating conversation between two basses panned left and right, with rippling atmospherics in the middle. The rubbery, high-register tones provide beautiful continuity with Dysrhythmia’s offering. Midway through, swinging cymbals drop into an unsettled, lurching groove, only to subside into a bed of impressionistic rides. “Torch” floats on gently rolling toms, as glitchy electric shocks and metallic chimes crease My Bloody Valentine-esque textures. Tasteful, minimal artwork rounds out this thought-provoking package. —Cosmo Lee
