Shaven Primates is a band from Oxford, UK that offers a difficult genre to define, mixing Art Rock, Post-Rock and Experimental. Their debut album “Child Of Dirt” was released on November 26, 2021 and contains 7 long tracks, including a suite of over 14 minutes and an epic track of over 18. The album opens with “Child Of Dirt” which after an intro with children’s voices develops the song with a warm vocal and intertwining guitar and piano. The intensity increases with the passage of the song with hard guitar riffs, while the rhythm session is enriched by the tempo changes, in the final the track closes with an intense guitar solo. Atmospheric sounds open “On The Bleeding Edge” which starts off strong with distorted guitars and a solid and elaborate rhythm session. The Experimentation component is more marked in this song, which manages to blend Rock traits with Post-Rock, creating a sound that is still accessible. The atmospheres of the piece alternate more pompous passages with choral but generally gloomy inserts, giving life to an engaging section of the disc. One of the shortest track of the album “The Zoo” which still exceeds 4 minutes, which begins with dreamy melodies and the sounds of the sea. With the entry of the vocal the track develops on melancholic atmospheres and intertwining male and female voices. As in the previous ones, the tempo changes are an added value for the sound and allow you to increase the intensity, with a very intense ending in a musical crescendo. We have come to the “3 Piece Suite” which is precisely divided into 3 parts, before which it begins with dark guitar melodies, repetitions and hypnotic. The rhythmic session is slow and the vocal has Bluesy features, with the constantly evolving structure that accelerates continuously and gains power as the minutes pass. The next section presents more experimental and cinematic sounds, very dilated and with guitar inserts with melancholy features. With a change it takes on more Funky traits that mix with Rock, very engaging and rhythmic and with an elaborate structure, with a strong impact of the singing. In the final part, however, the sound becomes darker and heavier with some openings where the band releases all its electric power with good intertwining of keyboard and guitar. “Outside” after a softer first part, develops with an almost Swing theme, highly sought after and with personal traits, managing to rework it through their sounds. The dynamic and expressive vocal test is an added value for this piece, which alternates softer moments with Heavy openings, with a good guitar solo in the second part. Granitic guitar riffs characterize “Mind” which is the shortest but very intense, with a more Hard Rock style in sound and vocals. The mixes of guitar and keyboard are good and the rhythm session is solid, the band has skilfulness to change skin from one song to another and this different passage is successful and full of energy. The guitar is at the center of the sound with a fine solo in the central part, and then with the return of the vocal close. The disc ends with the epic track “Answers” with over 18 minutes of duration, it best summarizes the sound concept carried out by the band. It begins with sounds attributable to modern Progressive Rock, with a massive presence of the synth, and a vocal that recalls the 70s especially in the choirs. The guitar is inserted with a good solo intervention, short but intense, and at 7 minutes the band turns the song upside down, passing to a Cinematic Experimental sound rich in electronic sounds. The second part of the track is a journey into the cosmic atmospheres that rotates in the modulations of the synth, recalling the unexpected and original German Cosmic music, but very successful. A band that has many ideas and manages to blend them together, giving life to their own sound with marked personal traits. We move from Post-Rock to Prog, from Experimental to Cinematic sounds, with a sophisticated and technically well developed and executed sound. A debut that deserves the attention of lovers of Post-Rock sounds with forays into the Experimental, a journey through 7 very intense and energetic tracks.
Tracklist
1. Child Of Dirt (07:18)
2. On The Bleeding Edge (05:24)
3. The Zoo 04:53
4. 3 Piece Suite (a. Swamp Rock Blues, b. In Transit, c. Bus Replacement Service, d. Soft Reset) (14:54)
5. Outside (04:54)
6. Mind (04:08)
7. Answers (18:26)
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