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It has been 13 years since we last heard from shoegazers The Meeting Places. In all of that time, well, they have not changed musically much. This EP is the sound of a band that made some great records a decade or so ago, and now is picking up where those old songs left off. I suppose that since Shoegaze seems to be going through a sort of renaissance, now is a good time for it.
And i really enjoyed their first two records. My reviews of them are not glowing, but those records are solid releases that i have listened to occasionally over the years. I can't say that about everything that i have reviewed here -- many a record seems exciting when i write about it, but then a year (or several) later i find that i am sick of it. But not The Meeting Places. Their wall of guitar noise perfectly suits my mood at times.
In a way, they are doing a melodic take on the ABTBS/BRMC thing. And that's cool. And in a way their two records are interchangeable with releases by SIANspheric, or The Verve. All have a similar kind of feel to them and, i would guess, my girlfriend (a noted Deadhead, i might add) probably cannot distinguish between them. I guess that The Meeting Places are more mumbly than SIANspheric and not as Doors-y as The Verve...
Still, this is music i enjoy, and i am glad to have four more songs from the band.
You and I kicks things off right, with layers of distorted guitar, laconic drumming, and vocals lost in the haze. After a minute, the drumming picks up speed and the guitars tear at it, really soaring and chugging. It's very catchy and noisy at the same time.
Patricia Jane is a very dense song, seemingly lost in a guitar haze. Wonderful, if you like that sort of thing. It starts slowly, the guitar haze building up alongside drums that are flat and distant, often buried under the layers of guitar, as is the voice. This is classic The Meeting Places, noisy, echoed, and catchy as all hell.
Stay the Same is a pop tune buried under layers of guitar distortion, the drums driving the song forward at a breakneck pace.
And finally we end with Fallout, where The Meeting Places slow it down a bit. This is a ballad, the voice echoed and faint, under layers of guitar. On the bridge, one of the guitars stomps on the tremolo pedal and the sound goes all shimmering and odd. It is a gorgeous, and reminiscent of Bethany Curve.
That is also a nice end to the EP. The Meeting Places are not breaking any new ground, but i wouldn't want them to. This is perfectly in keeping with their previous releases, and it makes me very happy to have more music from them.
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