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Irepress: Sol eye sea I
07/03/11 || BigBoi
Before we begin, let’s get this out of the way: Irepress is pronounced ‘ear-press’. I never would have known this either had they not clarified it in a magazine I bought a while back. Good investment. Weird band name, weirder album title, and somehow still weirder album cover (Shiva with a melting face in what looks like an LSD-induced pink underwater haze?). So by the power of deductive reasoning we can conclude that “Sol Eye Sea I” is not your average metal offering, and even after repeated listens, I’m still not exactly sure what to label this fucker.
Have you ever experienced a combination of hunger and boredom that has caused you to throw a bunch of scrounged up shit from your fridge onto a plate, microwave it, then eat the whole mess together? It usually ends with chronic dysentery and a trashed kitchen, but once in a blue moon you get a combination that is both satisfying, and quite delicious. “Sol Eye Sea I” is exactly that: a melting pot of styles and instruments that should collapse under its own weight, but miraculously does not. Irepress covers the whole gamut; a hardcore metallic edge, spaced-out interludes, complex song structures, progressive rhythms, brass and strings, electronics, even samples from The Goonies for shits and giggles! Surprisingly, the one thing we get skimped out on here is vocals, though hardly missed when you hear how much else there is to indulge in.
The whole of the album is contained in the 5 tracks that exceed 7 min., with the others acting as breathers and transitions between them. One could say the songs have a post-rock composition to them, but less focused on climaxes and more on creating an amalgam of riffs and melodies. “Diaspora” immediately snatches your attention with its poignant crunchiness before strapping you on to the “Sol Eye Sea I” roller coaster. Songs lure you in, hook you on a catchy as fuck melody, then abruptly thrust you into a new one. This happens so many times within each track it’s mind-boggling, but every new auditory venture is just as intriguing as the one preceding it. The attention grip established in “Diaspora” continues throughout the entire album, only loosening during the sometimes inutile shorter cuts.
Vocals, while appearing rarely, mainly consist of anthemic hardcore shouts and male/female harmonized cleans. They don’t come often, but when they do, they make a statement (“Cyette Phiur”, “Adeluge”). Perhaps the only beef I have with “Sol Eye Sea I” is the concentration break caused by the transition tracks, which sometimes interrupt the album’s flow. And maybe the clap-along part in “Diaspora” that causes me to question my sexuality. And the lackluster ending in “Entanglement”. Well damnit, that’s several beefs I guess, so once again perfection fleets from the grasps of mortal men. Still, Irepress strive admirably with their tasteful melodies, multifarious instrumentation, and impressive drum work. Definitely a unique young band to watch.
- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: Red Distribution
- Website: Irepress MySpace
- Band
- Sheel Davé: drums
- Shan Davé: bass
- Jon DiNapoli: guitar
- Benji Gram: guitar
- Jarrett Ring: keyboards/synth
- Tracklist
- 01. Diaspora
- 02. Rhintu
- 03. Barrageo
- 04. Daniel Sen
- 05. Cyette Phiur
- 06. Fletchie
- 07. Adeluge
- 08. Billy
- 09. Entanglement
