Review
Blessed
Blessed EP

Don't you just love how you know what you're going to get from just the name of a band? Just think of all those verb-the-noun bands out there. Not so with simple band names. The name Blessed does not give much to work with. The cover art is a good second hint of what you're getting yourself into. With an extremely simple cover like this I'm still guessing. Although I must admit I would be surprised if Blessed would have played extreme death metal or something extreme like that.

So, what kind of music do they play? I'm having a hard time trying to figure that out. And in this case that is actually a good sign. I've found this EP to be so intriguing I find myself playing it over and over again, trying to figure out what’s going on. Only to be surprised again and again by all the twists and turns these crazy punks incorporate in their music.

This is a band that clearly does whatever they feel like. And even though you can hear they share a background in hardcore and punk (that vibe is clearly there if you ask me) today they clearly don’t feel like playing as fast and loud as possible. Instead these four songs go down a more experimental path. While listening I’m reminded of Cave In during their more alt-rock period. Infuse that with that robotic, but human thing Battles have going for them. Does that make any sense at all?

This EP lasts for little over 20 minutes, but contains enough ideas to fill an entire album. Combine that with the aforementioned twists and turns and you might expect an exhausting ride down a more math rock path. That isn’t the case. Blessed keep their eyes on the prize which in their case appears to be a good song. Recurring motifs keep the songs together and recognizable. While I admire their sense of adventure regarding incorporating this amount of time-changes and more importantly changes in dynamics there are some twists that don’t feel entirely natural. The more quiet parts of “Repossess” pop up out of nowhere. Most of the time Blessed knows to find the balance between showing off and writing a decent tune.

I have a hard time rating this album, something I find perhaps even harden then describing what I’ve listened to. My struggle is this: this EP feels like a grower. The few parts that now feel illogical could well become the moments I like most after listening more. Sot, at the moment I think Blessed is onto something, but not entirely there yet. On the other hand, I’m intrigued by this EP; fair chance I will award this EP a higher score in a month or so after having listened to it a lot of times. For now, this is it…