Who doesn’t like a bit of chaos? And who doesn’t walk away feeling disappointed when this important ingredient is not added to a live rock show? With so many bands focused so much on achieving sonic perfection, it looks like the days of glorious mistakes and happy on-stage accidents are gone.
But there’s still hope. Bands like A Place To Bury Strangers are trying to keep things unpredictable and, occasionally, surprising themselves while doing it. Tell this to the majority of professional rock bands and their managers, and they’ll cower away in fear.
Yes, believe it or not, some bands are even louder than these NYC expats. The majority of them, however, perform anarchy to a click track and shout about revolution the lines that they’ve rehearsed a million times. Can we really depend on them to deliver our evil thrills?
A Place To Bury Strangers stay true to the band’s ethos that anything can and should happen. “Let It All Go” is built from messy patterns introduced by an old-school synthesiser. There may well be a pop song in there. There often is with this band. But you’ll have to hang on for dear life and get the room to stop shaking before you’ll be able to recognise it. In a music world that’s taught you to recognise every pattern, it’s good to know that some are still flying blind through the storm of their own making.
