FTCL004 - Abandon - Abandon LP (Blindsight Records)



Jesu. Slowdive. Cocteau Twins. If these names appeal to you, then Abandon's jetlagged, stoner-shoegaze drones will too. Singer's Umair Chaudry's "foolish pride", his "fear of losing you", says much of the song constructions being slow, steady affairs with light and shade. The guitar's resemble Robin Guthrie's melancholic, depressive diopsy and it shines through on "A Hole That Can't Be Filled", where major chords of electric guitar tread in heavy steps to a dirge of G key vocals, dragging the piece's structure along by its ankles with impressive candour. There are some underwhelming moments due to the pace never progressing beyond a stoner's crawl. However, with narratives like "I can't see the things that pull me apart / Can't deny I've tried / You don't deserve the things I said / That I was blind / It's not you, don't blame yourself, the blame all rests with me" on standout "Not For Who You Are" really strikes the listener with a sense of heartache that's missing from a lot of Avant Rock music of late. Recommended, and Magali Melin's paintings for the card CD case greatly lift the visual/musical synchronicity.

http://blindsightrecords.co.uk/abandon-self_titled.html