The Snake the Cross the Crown "Mander Salis" CD
[Equal Vision]
I'm not sure what I expected from this, but the reality is definitely a little something different. Musically things are for more mature and involved than anticipated, with all kinds of influences floating around - from indie rock and alternative, to progressive rock, British shoegazer stuff, or even understated folk/country. Keyboards are used, but very carefully, they're only sporadically evident, and even in those instances they're fairly subdued against the other instrumentation. The tracks are driven by layers of guitars that often combine different riffs that piece together perfectly, blending a mishmash of different clean and distorted tones and a healthy dose of well handled effects processing (at times lending a Radiohead-ish vibe to some of the textural atmospheres). "Gates of Dis" and "A Gathering of Shades" are among the more memorable and borderline "catchy" tracks, implementing some strong vocal lines and harmonies, but the great thing about this material is that even when the actual architecture of the songwriting is fairly tangible and basic, the actual playing, especially with regard to how the stringed instruments work together, is almost always far more complex than a cursory listen would reveal. "The Laughing Man" brings in piano and really has an unusual feel that stands out quite a lot from the other pieces, everything about the song is stylistically in line with the CD, but still very much on its own ground... I'm not sure how to explain it. "Echolalia" is somewhat similar in odd contrast, what with a few of its rhythms being some of the most directly recognizable as indie rock commonalities, but then you've got to take into account that the piece runs nine minutes and layers in plenty of synths and breaks into some totally prog-esque droning passages. "On the Threshold of Eternity" brings out some of the folk-ish/country influences more obviously with its acoustic driven approach and relaxed vocal delivery (but keep in mind this is coming from someone who hates those styles of music, and I like this, so there's always that indie twist, it's not so literal), which is taken farther in "A Brief Intermission" - stripped down to just one acoustic guitar and vocals with a "live" recording style. And I must point out that this thing sounds absolutely awesome, too. Everything is perfectly clear and the tones are wonderful for this niche of music. The percussion sounds 100% natural and resonant, the vocals are bright and breathy and inch out only a smidge in front of the music, the various guitar tones and effects all work and never feel awkward (a rarity, for sure), and the bass lays a good foundation while occasionally wandering towards a more focal role. I'm definitely impressed by how clear the mix is what with the amount of layers swirling around and adding modest nuances all around. The layout is unusual, as the case comes in a matte slip sleeve with blocky lettering on a worn greenish/gray background, and then the cover of the actual booklet is a brightly colored painting of a stylized face, on the back some wood paneling - there's little or no text on either side. Inside are handwritten notes and scribbles on slightly faded and torn pages, and I assume that perhaps these are bits and pieces of lyrics even though nothing is credited to specific songs? I have to give this one a damn high score because it's really fucking creative and interesting all around. I'm liking it more and more with time, and some of the initial impressions it creates are curiously misleading considering the big picture. I shit you not, I'd state with 98% certainty that if this band was on a major label they could get almost as big as Coldplay or Radiohead or something of that nature. Seriously. Very nice... I had no clue I'd be so impressed. (8/10)
Running time - 48:12, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Gates of Dis, A Gathering of Shades, Echolalia]
Equal Vision Records - http://www.equalvision.com

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