Review: Innaway “s/t” CD

This is an odd disc, and all I know for sure is that for whatever reason, I'm into it. I'm not blown away mind you, and the band flirts with some stuff that I'm not so fond of, but... overall? This is pretty interesting. They're drawing from a strange blend of styles that's sort of impossible to categorize, what with six-minute opener, "Threathawk", starting out with harmonica before introducing some relatively chilled out atmospheres revolving around simple drumbeats and pulsing basslines behind soft singing and sparse, jangly guitar chords and drones - at times definitely hitting on a strangely abstracted 70's rock kind of vibe. And then "The Strings of North Egg" follows with lush keyboards, dry acoustic guitars, watery reverb effects, and more chilled out singing with some majorly 70's-esque vocal harmonies that definitely hit on a prog rock kind of sound, but again, it's been so abstracted that it's almost like you start to question yourself on any influence you feel like you're picking up. For instance, "Does it really make sense that it almost sounds like Black Sabbath for a minute when the distortion kicks in for one pulsating riff at the end of this track, since that weird discordant riff repeats over top of it?" I still don't know the answer to such questions, and I continue to grow more and more confused when "Tiny Brains" jumps in with the programmed percussion behind more oddly lush synths and clean guitars that all sound a little more looped and arranged in this one; or when "Rise" shifts from what sounds like chirping insects, upright bass, and organ/accordion to a dark, fuzzed out rock riff where the guitars and bass harmonize each other... but of course that only sticks around for about a minute as well, as things quiet down afterwards and the rock riff doesn't return until the final 40 seconds!? They kind of start to lose me with the noise interlude of "Fall" and the weird psychedelic tidbits in "Follow Moon", but thankfully the latter tends to pull it off overall, so the former two-minutes of feedback and percussion is a mild hitch in the end. On the other hand, the next instrumental, "Post FM", is much more melodic and emotional, making for one of my favorite moments on the disc, so I really wish it was longer and more involved, as it could've made for one incredible piece. Unexpectedly, another instrumental, "Golden", follows and has a much more electronic feel than anything else herein, using glitchy beats and lulled synths behind heavily manipulated guitar parts that are barely recognizable when they appear at all - again sounding rather looped and arranged. "Stolen Days" then reverts back to more of the pulsing back and forth rock of the earlier tracks, possibly becoming a little more straightforward at times, due in part to the fact that the varying influences come together a little more linearly here, rather than boasting so much contrast? "George Walker on Water" ends it off with more prog-ish vocal harmonies over a somber backdrop that uses an oddly peppy rhythmic arrangement (despite being very slow paced) and another percussive performance that walks the line between unique live drumming and programming, to where you can't tell what's really responsible there. The recording is great. Everything is mixed excellently to allow for shifts in general tone and placement depending on what strange textures they're going for at any given moment, but everything always sounds clean and fluid. They've also managed to mix a dated sort of aesthetic with a more modern crispness and clarity that benefits their particular approach quiet well, thus meaning that everything sounds as natural and lively as it would have in the 70's or whatever, but the fullness and cleanliness only adds to that. I'm not really digging much in terms of the visual aspects of the release though, simply because I find most of the art to be pretty uninteresting. The video still band shot on the back cover is alright, and the illustrations and such across the inner spread are decent, but the cover and stuff... I don't know, none of it really provides much to look at, and they didn't include lyrics or anything. This is a good record, though. Not totally my thing, which makes it strange that I actually dig it, but... the whole atmosphere of it just sucks me in. It's a good listen. Not for everyone, but worth looking into if you'd like to get into something more laidback now and then, and with a peculiar sense of artistry.