Tera Melos - Patagonian Rats
Rating
RIYL
Cap n’ JazzOwls
Braid
Release Date
09/07/2010
Label
Sargent HouseTracklist
1."The Skin Surf"2."Aped"
3."Trident Tail"
4."Frozen Zoo"
5."In Citrus Heights"
6."Skywatch"
7."Party With Gina"
8."Another Surf"
9."Westham United"
10."A New Uniform/Patagonia"
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Tera Melos has become infected with a strain of pop. The Sacramento trio are slurring melodies and scurrying rhythms on their new full length album, Patagonian Rats. We find our clever friends delving deeper into intricate and more complex song structures. While traditionally Tera Melos is covered with a dense sound, on this album there are melodic hooks that almost seem to defy the band's experimental edge. Heed my prose, though, and know that this does not mean they have lost their sound, but don’t be surprised by clear and undistorted vocals layered throughout the mixes.
A distinctive element of Tera Melos is their ability to create songs not based on repetition, instead using upbeat tempo and shaky riffs. Their songs never allow the listener to become bored. For example, take the track “Another Surf” a grindy blend of horns and guitars clash to create a cacophony of noise that could easily fit on a Daughters album. Each time I listen to this track I am able to find some new instrument buried in the mix that wasn’t there before. I am not going to drone on about the greatness of this album unnecessarily, however. Phased out guitars and reverb vocals lay the groundwork for a guitar-tapping extravaganza throughout Patagonian Rats. I mentioned previously that Tera Melos have embraced pop, so I should probably clarify that statement. Pop is an odd thing to nail down. Think about the band The Flaming Lips. What kind of music do they make? Is it pop, rock or a fusion of fucked up music? Good artists are able to bend the rules of normal conventions. Their music usually has the ability to stick with you and evoke emotions. Tera Melos have aged from the instrumental / Cap n’ Jazz like band they were into a rock band with a brain. In accepting this shift they are breathing a refreshing gust into the lungs of indie rock.
Tera Melos has this ability to create music that changes each time you listen to it. Every listen to this album I find new things to keep me interested, which is something that is completely rare in today's musical scenes. Simply put, their music is intelligent, humble and worthy of your ears.
--Corey Mack
Comments
Brooklyn, NY
I LOVE THIS ALBUM. Might be my favorite of the year.
www.explodinginsound.com
Fishers, Indiana
I've never liked these guys 100%, but have always been interested. I will get all up on this shit asap.
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Brooklyn, NY
Yeah, I had never gotten into them before this one. They have raised the bar to a whole new level.
www.explodinginsound.com
Fishers, Indiana
I'm trying to listen, but however this is mixed, the lead guitar is blowing out my right speaker when I try to make the stuff coming out of the left loud enough. Gr.
Top Albums: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Raleigh, NC
Haven't had the chance to listen to this yet, but I've loved everything else they've ever done.
Minnesota
Eh, you guys talked this up too much. The album was fine, but I really wish they'd try to make their songs more listenable instead of trying to be all mathy for no good reason. You can be mathy and listenable at the same time (the obvious example being Minus the Bear), but Tera Melos is more concerned with just being mathy.
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Baltimore, MD
↑
I agree with this guy.
If more of the songs were like Frozen Zoo, I'd probably have liked this more.
Last.fm | RateYourMusic
Wilmington DE
I wouldn't really call Minus the Bear mathy at all. I mean they play around the beat sometimes but they rarely step out of 4/4. For Tera Melos this is probably their most focused album to date but there are still a few moments that I skip because they just aren't too pleasant. I mean I know that what they are going for but I have to be in a certain mood for me listen to some of the tracks on this cd.
Listening to:
Tides of Man
Oceansize
The Contortionist
We are the City
Periphery