Boring. Derivate. Crap. These are all words that I have heard individuals use when referring to the craze of post-rock/instru-metal that is sweeping our nation, not to mention the rest of the world. One could argue, for days or even weeks, and I'm sure many of you do, over topics such as this. And while I do enjoy a good discussion from time to time - who doesn't? - I honestly think trying to convince people that your opinion is better than theirs is totally pointless. So the next time someone confronts your musical tastes, utilize the words of The Dude: "Well that's just like your opinion, man," and all will be well.
On the opening track, "Resurfaced," the instrumental trio of Augie Issacson, Rob Dowler and Donny Green that comprise Tides construct a smooth flowing concoction very much akin to Isis' Oceanic. We are treated to equal moments of slow and heavy riffs as well as fluidly interweaving guitar melodies. The guitars are complimented by graceful basslines and drumwork that perfectly controls the pace of the song by providing a steady beat as well as accentuating the complexity of the song with a variety of cymbal crashes and drum fills. As the song draws towards its end, the pace slowly begins to dwindle. With the pace coming to crawl, the instruments one by one depart from the mix - first the drums and then the bass until we are left with just ambient guitar tones.
We then enter the second of six tracks, "By the Droves," which is essentially an interlude. Backed by a variety of background noises, the song contains very little instrumentation save for simplistic guitar tones used sporadically. I am greatly reminded of the Tool song "Parabol" whenever I hear the guitar notes to this playing. The mellow passage flows directly into "Aurora." The first half of the song is a sequence that builds every so slightly on itself as in develops. It plays out very much like the Isis song "Weight.". The dynamic structuring of the song demonstrates the songwriting talent of the members of Tides, they are no joke. As a sidenote, I am especially a fan of the bass playing during the later portion of the song.
Following another brief interlude track, "Wash Away" hits with crunching riffs that crash like waves into a breakwall. And while the vast majority is comprised of heavily distorted riffs the song does contain a passage of post-rock influence. A lot of bands are incorporating elements such as these into their works these days, and often times it can seemed forced. But with Tides that is not the case; the music flows seamlessly. Resurfaced rounds out with a very mellow piece that contains sparse guitars and pianos. It's nothing to write home about, but does it job to wrap things up in a nice neat little bow.
Many will write Tides off as jumping the bandwagon of acts riding the coattails of Isis and Pelican. But I think if a band does a style of music well, it really shouldn't matter. Resurfaced is a solid debut effort and I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I expect big things from them in the future.
