Playing Enemy "Ephemera" CD
[Escape Artist]
Here's a lengthy EP of more discordant as hell madness from Playing Enemy. As usual there's some great interaction between the guitar parts and the basslines, as they tend to work entirely independently of one another, but there are also some totally unexpected twists here. "John Q Russia" is the most straightforward track, and there's a great break in the middle with a quick sample before things kick back in full force and get subtly melodic with vocals that are a mix of singing and shouting - fucking incredible... by far the best thing I've ever heard from this band. On the other hand, "Must Bring Own Weapon" is just bizarre: Breaking out a drum machine and a keyboard for the bulk of the track alongside a combination of shouting and computerized vocal effects (ala Cynic). I'd be lying if I said I liked this song at all. In fact, I think it sucks. It is pretty god damn curious, though. They close with a cover of "You've Got to Be Crazy" by Pink Floyd, and since I've never been a Pink Floyd fan (you fuckin' heard me) I like this rendition better. It's definitely pretty interesting, putting the discordant Playing Enemy spin to things, but also breaking out some brief singing vocals and a lot of forceful, partly melodic rhythms as well. And again, the interaction between guitars and bass is superb. I like the production for the most part, especially the bass presence and the clarity of the drumming. I wish the cymbals were mixed a bit lower so that the rest of the percussion would hold more weight, but it's not so bad. The bass has great definition, and that works well against the thinner, nastier side of the guitar distortion. The vocals sound great, full and warm, right in there with the instruments. Evening out the drums would be my only recommendation, especially since the drumming kicks ass. The packaging is quite simple. The CD comes in a slim jewel case and the artwork is similar in style to Playing Enemy's other releases with a sketchy ink drawing of a figure on the front cover. Light blue and green are the prevailing colors, with some black and brown, and all of the fonts are consistent throughout. Lyrically the material here seems quite different from the band's prior work, as both tracks deal with inconspicuous sexual escapes: "We wake up late, to his voice on the machine. And he's asking. Where have you been sleeping? And he's asking. Who have you been with? It doesn't matter. I know all about him. And so it goes..." I don't what the hell they were shooting for with "Must Bring Own Weapon", but the other two tracks are ragers, and "John Q Russia", baby... that shit is awesome. (7/10)
Running time - 17:35, Tracks: 3
[Notable tracks: John Q Russia, You've Got to Be Crazy]
Escape Artist Records - http://www.escapeartistrecords.com

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