Doors in the Desert

Abatis

Independent Release, 2013

For everyone tormented by silence, the time to rejoice is nigh, as Abatis has returned with a full length release of distortion filled ditties to displace the quiet.

Once again it’s hard to simply label this one thing. There’s the energized, stoner buzz of opening track “Brighter than a Ballroom,” in direct contrast to the quietly intense emotion of “Don’t Worry, I’m a Ghost.” With it’s warm acoustic guitars and recurring refrain of “I’ve been awake for a thousand years,” the percussion track is distant and muddy, like so many cluttered thoughts and distant memories.

“You Put the Fun in Funeral,” and “Mithridatism,” are great radio friendly slabs of noisy fun. Loud, driven and with an acute fierceness.  This bands anger, lyrically, sounds more like frustration, and that said, is refreshing.

There have always been hints of Kurt Cobain’s songwriting influence with Abatis, and it pops up throughout, but it is thankfully slight and more suggestive to Nirvana’s cultural presence than anything else. It’ll appear briefly, in the turn of a phrase, or a guitar passage, and if nothing else, reminds us that this band was raised on late 90’s radio, when everyone was required to sound like Nirvana.

Title track, “Doors in the Desert,” is a solid slab of hooks, built first by Ben Lauffer’s ringing drums, then by the interesting choices of Stuart Maaslehbrown and Sean Wagner, bass and guitar respectively. Each layering a memorable part, one atop the other.

Almost none of the musical moves here are obvious. This trio has gone out of their way to confound expectations of how scruffy, discordant rock should be played. Closing number “Ms. Alligned” bears testimony to this, with more changes than one would reasonably find on such a song.

Doors in the Desert is a tough piece of work to ignore. Showing off a multifaceted band with a great deal to say, and a dozen different ways to say it.

http://abatis.bandcamp.com/