LandSpeedRecord

Unfailurelessness (Cattle Dog)
by Scott Hefflon

A decade in and these guys can still surprise. While never a diehard fan, I’ve listened to most of their varied releases, and usually found something to like. Unfailurelessness seems more cohesive than I’m used to, but perhaps when you’re prepared to expect the unexpected, anything less than “wait, you went stoner opera with blastbeats and flutes on this one?” and it seems cohesive. From Baltimore, very DC post-punk, angular guitar and turn-on-a-dime drumming, and vocals that don’t yelp or scream, but sound like they just might at any moment, if provoked. The bio namedrops XTC, which saves me the trouble of trying to remember the name of the band that did “Dear God” and some other good stuff that simply didn’t stick.
(www.cattledogrecords.com)