Artist: Pattern is Movement
Album: All Together
Comments: The first 50 seconds of “Bird,” the first and best track on Pattern is Movement’s third album All Together, are as triumphant as military trumpet. “I will never / all together,” commands Andrew Thiboldeaux, PiM’s singer. A choir responds, echoing Thiboldeaux’s chorus, only to have him call for it again. Drums thump in the background, off the beat of the vocals that drive the song as a xylophone provides the song’s melody, giving it a Saturday-morning-cartoon-meets-drama-class feel.
Then, just as things are established and the song is rolling along, things abruptly change. Gongs and wind instruments chime in, brining a whole new melody to the song. Not abrasive, but like a gentle, fickle wind that blows the song in a completely new direction with no warning or care for the listener, who moment before was enjoying some just fine pop music.
Such is the way on All Together, an album of avant-garde, dramatic indie pop that is so preoccupied with changing every 30 seconds that the listener can never catch up.
The reason this unfocused strategy can work in a genre like lo-fi or noise is because that kind of music is based on exploring chaos and finding substance within it. However, there is no chaos to be found on All Together. Every instrument is clean and planned, with no notes missed. Everything was thought of miles in advance. The changes are by design, not circumstance. Patter is Movement decided, consciously, to make an album that never settles.
It’s a shame really because there might be some legitimately good ideas littered thought this album. However, due to the ever-shifting nature of the songs, it’s not even fun to try and find them. Why look for the good when you can only get a gimps of it before its on to the next idea? Pattern is movement, indeed.
Rating: 3 out of 10
Key Tracks: Bird
Buy, Steal, or Skip: Skip
Artist: Pattern is Movement
17 comments:
OH NO EXPERIMENTATION
GOD FORBID A BAND TRIES NEW THINGS
wow. this review is not only ridiculous but frightening. it' upsetting that there are people out there who think like this. perhaps one day we all will in fact just be automatons and you won't have to be made uncomfortable by listen to actual music or creativity or originality because there will only be one song, we'll all know it, and we will all bob our heads complacently and mindlessly for eternity. then you can recommend that and give it a 10 out of 10.
it's the first and surely the last time I visit this blog. i'd give all together a 9 or a 10...
saw them at a music festival. they were the most interesting thing i had heard live in a long time. i bought the album and loved it. doing your own thing usually results in people calling you garbage. still seems that its no different when it comes to music.
Hey website owner make a deal with yourself when Pattern Is Movement makes it to big name festivals promise yourself to shut down your site and claim defeat to the other shit review sites like pitchfork media and rolling stones.
I saw Pattern Is Movement in baltimore at the metro gallery and it was a great time. They even covered a radiohead song and the place went crazy.
simpleton
News Flash; most bands take months and sometimes years to write and record an album, carefully planning every note. Guess you don't care for Brian Eno, The Beach Boys or...well the list goes on. Sorry man.
Listen. I like the album, but a guy keeping up his own blog is entitled to his own opinion, is he not? Just because a record didn't suit an individual's tastes and did suit your own, he's suddenly a fool incapable of understanding or appreciating?
Silly.
You have a closed mind.
Pattern is Movement is possibly the most interesting sound that is out there right now. If you think that the production or instrumentation isn't planned or is haphazard, I have to wonder how much music you have really listened to...or if you're familiar with production at all?
This is one of those albums that just blow my mind. Apparenlty it blew yours a little bit too much.
learn what good music is
this blog is not only insulting to the bandm but is insulting to the whole noise/experimental scenes. I would be embarrassed if i wrote this article.
3 out of TEN? holy shit!pull your head outta your ass dude.
You obviously havent listened to any of the other fine albums PIM have released over the years, because if you had, you'd know what youre getting into when reviewing a record by them.
mathy, choppy time signatures are one of their greatest quirks! it's a part of who they are, and what inherently makes the band tick.
Thats like taking a shit on mates of state because they only use drums and organs most of the time.
the fact PIM creates such excitable, smart music with such limited resources is baffling, refreshing and YES, is well thought out.
Isnt that a good thing? when a band puts a little effort into the music theyre making?
You ever heard of that awesome new band Linkin Park??? They shit out accessible pop tunes on a yearly basis that give the listener PLENTY of chances to catch up. They never change, and require about as much thought and discipline as microwaving a hot pocket.
all bands should strive for such excellence i suppose.
well anyways, check em out man. highly recommended for an individual of your caliber.
Careless writing habits = lose credibility.
ATTN: anonymous:
Please learn how to construct sentences. Also please learn that by screaming at Nathan so forcibly for being closed-minded, you yourselves are being closed-minded.
Furthermore, fuck the world!!!
horrible/unfounded review -- i'd highly suggest to check this band out live....i've seen them twice. two great shows. these two burly, stylish, and talented men (Grandaddy meets Magnetic Fields meets Brian Eno the morning after meets Paul Buynan's stunt men), seemingly, battle against each other on stage -- Andrew's unique vocals and keyboardism, combined with creative/intense percussion, make for great music. *best live band i've seen in a long time.
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