Communipaw- Self Titled (Fri, 8 Jan 2010 Posted at 06:00:00 AM)
Communipaw- Self-Titled
Singer/songwriter Brian Bond has been making pretty significant waves while coming up through the basements of New Brunswick, New Jersey over the years. His 'Ten Thousand Songs' EP from 2009 was one of the years best acoustic efforts, a charming collection of sparse and forthright songwriting. Turns out he's just as alluring while being backed with a full band, the end result being Communipaw's debut full length slated for release on January 12th.
At their inception, Communipaw were the Bond brothers (Brian and PJ) and two cats from Know Think. Since then PJ has moved onto a rising solo career (though he does contribute background vocals here), while Brian also juggles his solo work with Communipaw. A highly praised EP in 08 put them on the map ('Moving Till The Morning'), and if there is any justice in the world, this full length should convince anyone willing to give it a listen that Bond and his band are one of the most talented outfits that exist in the world of independent music.
While there is no lack of bands playing multiple genres these days, I can't think of too many that have honed such diversity well enough to play several styles effectively. Communipaw are the anomaly in this scenario; just about every song here sounds completely different from the previous, covering Brit-pop in the vein of early Radiohead on prozac (Bond does occasionally resemble a young version of Thom Yorke, only he enunciates), indie/folk that could parallel greats like Elliott Smith or Owen, or jangly, lush instrumentation with a touch of alt-country ala My Morning Jacket.
Communipaw are the sort of band that will meander with textured and atmospheric arrangements at a faint pulse and then immediately go into a track that soars with anthemic rock and loud guitars. Capable of playing complicated rhythms then straight into sparse, back to basics balladry, the tone, tempo and overall feel is constantly changing through these songs.
This disc was a longtime in the making- 8 different studios in a year's time- and seemingly never ending revisions along the way. The band's meticulous attention to detail ends up paying off with the finished result; hands down an amazing disc in all respects, the sort of listening experience that only gets better with each subsequent hit of repeat. Put this on a shelf next to Sunny Day Real Estate, the Texas Is The Reason LP and Mineral's 'The Power Of Failing'. Absolutely essential.
