The sophomore album by this progressive blues-ish group from Seattle is probably the final musical nail in the coffins of the truly dead grunge movement that has haunted that city for so long. Where The Messengers Meet slams the point home by exploring a host of currently hip music styles.
It begins with a Jack White mirroring "At Night" before taking off into a higher celestial plane with the driving anthem, "Leaving Trails." The album flips back and forth between tight, claustrophobic blues-driven ballads that tip the hat to The Black Keys, the ethereal pop of Beach House (especially with the album finale "George Clark"), and rambling cuts that capture the recent wave of post-punk dance-driven bands.
Later "You Were/I Was," with its dramatic interplay between Benjamin Verdoes' vocals and chunky guitar riffs create the perfect marriage between heavy Black Mountain stoner rock and the intricate lyrical atmospheric weaving found in Grizzly Bear and My Morning Jacket. "In A Hole," meanwhile, combines bits of Radiohead and Blitzen Trapper.
While the MSHVB's music is ambitious and modern, the schizophrenic nature of the results leaves the listener wanting more direction. The band's vast assortment of sonic interests and subsequent cornucopia of influences alienates the listener rather than include them on this lengthy and diverse prog journey.
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