Prayer Group
Strawberry (Reptilian Records)
by Scott Deckman
Is Prayer Group religious? I don’t know, probably not. Are they noise rock? Sort of. Are they post-hardcore? Yeah. Are they unnerving? You bet. To be honest, you can’t decipher the spewed lyrics of singer Matt Voegal, and when you do get a copy of them, they’re so vague and strange, you can’t readily make heads or tails of what the guy’s saying, but they purvey inner turmoil both personal and societal. Voegal could be screaming about tacos and burritos and it would have much the same effect (calling the Melvins). Noise rock antecedent Swans are a benchmark for unease (whether you think them a dilettante piss-take or not), and while Prayer Group are certainly a progeny, they play actual songs. The band also reminds one of the more godless moments of Sonic Youth. The presser cites the Jesus Lizard, Big Black, and Drive Like Jehu, among others, as simpatico. In the ballpark, I guess. But, at least on this release, Prayer Group is louder and darker.
Well, since I’m not a nihilist wannabe thrill-killer, why the fuck am I reviewing Strawberry? Because it’s pretty good, and it’s art (whether you like it or not). Plus, it’s quite musical for something so dark. The overall bass rumble of Prayer Group grounds you into a fearful introspective realm. Opener “Plagiarism” is big beats, nasty guitars, and menace. “Variance” shows quite a bit: the sparse guitar opening graduates to thunder drums and a mean riff, things calm down with a short bridge featuring bass and atonal guitar stabs, then it’s back to the punishing hammer, culminating in the song’s second part, a slower jazzy lament. “Strawberry” starts off in thick molasses with occasional drum punches and what sounds like synthesized sinister noise, then slow-motion explodes into heavy riffs and tortured screams. “Pig” is a slow bludgeon, and “Concern” traipses along, again with turpitude, while “PR Nightmare” brings the hardcore, a chug-a-chug we’re more than weirdos napalm blast. It’s quick, hits hard, and doesn’t sound like the rest of the EP. “Meatgrinder” is about daisies, balmy summer evenings, and young love … okay, more angry dissonance.
The production on this record makes you feel like you’re in an enclosed room with them; in-your-face, and it suits the band. This is the antithesis of easy listening. Like many of punk’s ugly outgrowths, noise rock is unnerving, a postmodern meditation on soulless life in a modern dystopia, very concerned with entropy while adding to it, a Confucian thing.
Not something you want to put on every day, but Prayer Group is there when you need them.
