Zelienople
Pajama Avenue
Loose Thread
The debut full-length from Zelienople is drenched in post-rock’s droning melodic ambiguity but is more lush and somewhat distant in tone than what you’d expect from that description. Exploring the textural dynamics of quiet, organically tripping jazz structures, Zelienople nods in the direction of Neu as much as Slint and Gastr del Sol, and takes in the slo-core of Low and Flare in the process. “It’s Hard to Steal Cars” is a beautiful track, reminiscent of Disintegration-era Cure, while on the reverb-drenched “Friendly With the Father” they are almost too melodramatic and pathos-filled for their own good. Tracks like the genuinely distressing “Christmas” and the untitled last track show the scope and gentle beauty of Zelienople, dripping with slight textural nuances that captures the listener’s attention and subtly challenges its own limits as well. At its best, this is an album of lazily sweeping music, a series of beautiful and slightly disturbing compositions, and a hugely impressive first offering from this Chicago trio.
Loose Thread Records: http://www.loosethread.com
