Cul de Sac – China Gate

Here's hoping for a good vinyl release . . .

THIS BOSTON QUARTET plays eastern affected post-rock that is less about dub and rhythm and more about guitar-bass-drum combinations than anything else. The best description of post-rock I've heard is from British music writer Simon Reynolds, he states: 'Where we should look are at post-rock bands that still use rock instrumentation but have abandoned much of the language--riffs, vocals, and familiar rhythms--and incorporated digital technology and analog synthesizers. Many of these bands have also dumped standard rock song structures in favor of more liquid, less restrictive forms.' Cul de Sac do this in colors. Much of the music here extends the 6 minute boundary and become jams of Glenn Jones' unharnessed prowess on the guitar and all his contraptions. A pleasant change from other "post-rockers" Tortoise; Rome; Oval to name a few.
My favorite song on this record is ". . . his teeth got lost in the mattress. . . ." (the guitar part runs over the top of a short wave radio transmission that is just divine as the song builds and builds till it just drops).