Pattern is Movement–All Together
Pattern is Movement have been around for a while, but it was only when local record shop guru CJ Davis drooled effusively over their new album “all together” that I gave the band a chance. As usual, CJ is right. This is a very rewarding release.
For some reason I had filed Pattern is Movement away with Math-rock wannabees who had ignored the fact that Don Cabballero achieved perfection and made it pointless to be in that genre. Perhaps some of their older stuff should be so summarily dismissed, but I doubt it. All together is a different animal, um, all together. There are, to be sure, radical changes in tempo and time signature, along with sudden changes in instrumentation, but there is a lot of room to be explored in that territory. Anyone who is uncompromisingly wedded to the traditional pop song should probably steer clear, but those whose ears tolerate a little experimentin’ should listen. My comparison is–ready for this?–Deerhoof meets Oingo Boingo. Perhaps the closest comparison in one band is the early early XTC (Go 2 and such) but PiM goes for a little more repetition and sound swatching than that.
It’s not easy to find a representative track, but the first track, Bird, will have to do.