self-evident

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SELF-EVIDENT ( dpg 13, 2007)

INDEPENDENT CLAUSES

Self-Evident Self-Evident
doubleplusgood records
Genre: Ambience/Indie
Best Element: Long instrumental riffs.

Sometimes a band will miss the mark on what they are trying to do. While their efforts are well intentioned, and the work ethic can't be questioned, there is just something missing. That's what happened on Self-Evident's self titled release. Just one listen to any song on the album illustrates how hard these guys are working on their instrumental parts. Every track contains instrumentals that boggle the mind. The guitars work in tandem to create a layered, complex sound that is impressive and interesting. The missing piece is the vocals. While the band is tight, the vocalist lags behind. The redeeming factor is that the band often avoids vocal use.

The album is a constant stream of incredible instrumental breaks punctured by vocals that remain flat for a majority of the album. The biggest problem with the vocals is not that vocalist Tom Berg can't sing. The problem is that he can't decide what kind of band he wants to make Self-Evident. Sometimes Berg gets to the edge of screaming, while at other times he lays back and allows the instrumentals to maintain the ambient nature of the band.

The biggest surprise for me was when I found out that these guys have been playing together for almost ten full years. The album does not have the sound of a band that has been playing together for that long. Guitar riffs conflict with the bass and the drumming seems haphazard at best. I enjoyed the instrumentals, but I was disappointed at the same time. I really respect these guys for working in the indie scene for so long, but they miss the mark with this record.

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