Bernell DorroughThe Forms
Icarus
Threespheres
Grade: C-
Final Word: The best thing about this CD is its cover
The Forms’ debut album “Icarus” clocks in at a mere eighteen minutes and sounds as if every song is in the same key, so perhaps it only merits fifty words in simple subject/predicate prose. But then again, we should be thankful these repetitive, go-nowhere songs don’t stretch out over an hour.
As said before, “Icarus” is under twenty minutes long, with ten tracks but only seven songs. That’s because the first three songs are needlessly broken up into two parts each. Not only that, but they sound exactly the same! The opener, “Stel,” starts out cool enough, a nice little indie/math-rock nugget that eschews traditional song structure. It’s got off-kilter time signatures, weaving guitar lines, and some decent, but nondescript, vocals from front man Ecco Teres. From there, I dare you to pick out the individual songs. Tempo and key never seem to change, so you’re left with one long, increasingly more boring rock jam. Track three is fifteen seconds long. Track six, the ultimate “song” of this little suite, is thirty seconds of barely audible guitar chords, then finally, we get the first full length track.
Surprise! It sounds exactly the same, too. Sure, AC/DC plays the same song over and over under a different name, but at least they sing about sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll and have gigantic Angus Young statues at their concerts. The Forms are stretching their mediocrity out like taffy. Sometimes a bright spot appears, but never for very long: a textured passage here, a piano line there, a song that actually sounds distinct (!) with “Stravinsky.” But it’s not enough to save the album, not even with the help of uber-producer Steve Albini (Nirvana, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), who claimed the Forms spent more time reviewing tape material than any other band he’s worked with. In any case, their EP-length debut is a weak start. The saving grace is the beautifully photographed cover art. Use the CD as a coaster; pin the glossy, gatefold sleeve to your bulletin board.