Album Review – Higher Rites’ Refusenik

I am still subscribed to the For the Mathematics mailing list and got an e-mail about downloading the first full-length album from ex-FTM members, Higher Rites.  Refusenik (a colloquial term for any type of protester) is a decent album overall and shows promise for things to come.  Though much less aggressive, this album shows some musical expansion and development.

The songs seem based on groove-oriented jam sessions, giving them a Gang-of-Four-by-way-of-Bloc-Party/TV-on-the-Radio feel.  However the sound lingers a bit in the post-punk/emo realm of the last decade, creating tunes with spacey guitar effects and emotive singing.

The album has a pretty consistent tone, which can be a good and bad thing.  It's nice to have a cohesive idea, but using the same guitar effects over and over is predictable.  Outside of some of the vocal lines, this album is really at a lack of musical hooks; the riffs are mostly just chord patterns in rhythmic progression without any lead melody.  Plus, starting with "The Immanent Frame" really didn't grab me like "Externalities", "Res Mea", or "DMZ" did.

It's a solid album and a good initial public offering.  It would be fun to see these guys live and I'm curious to see what they come out with next.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars