These are perilous times by no stretch of the imagination. People are losing their savings, consumer confidence is at its lowest levels in decades and the term “indie” has very little to do with bands who set out on an independent path of distribution and touring. We are living in the age of the digital download, where most only listen to their compiled tracks in transit. Mind you, there is nothing wrong with that. The ease and convenience of a download has revolutionized the way we approach and listen to music. But as songwriter Bob Mould recently said, “We are living in an age where music isn’t sacred.” Rarely do we sit alone or in good company listening to an album, taking it in. The Console War’s new E.P. “Cut the Cables” is an exception.The D.C. duo of Brian Young (guitars, loops, keys, vocals) and Billy Copps (drums, keys, vocals) has always had an affinity for the ethereal, cerebral and angular. Both have been in numerous bands together for the better part of this decade and formed the ‘War in 2005. After their formidable 2007 debut L.P., “Shards,” they played numerous shows in the D.C. area and were back at work on this year’s “Cut the Cables” E.P. The five songs pack a punch that has been rare in this year’s releases.
“Cut the Cables” functions as an air tight unit that should be taken in one sitting. Each track builds on the last, culminating with the demented carnivalesque keyboard drone, thundering toms and looped guitars of “Lines of Communication,” the set’s most emotionally wrenching. The middle half engulfs Kraftwerk’s hypnotic rhythms (“Cut the Cables”) as well as the hauntingly sparse abstractions of Slint and other Touch & Go bands from the 90s like Don Caballero. “Ship of State” is a solid midpoint showing a band who can build layers of momentum while keeping listeners waiting for the next turn.
“View From Down Here” is a gem. A dead ringer for the seminal D.C. group Beauty Pill, it also evokes the ethereal quality of early 90s English shoegazers Slowdive with Young’s fuzzed out guitar loops at the end. “Pipe or Gun,” sets the tone as the opener with Copps’ eerie electronic work and deafening drum breaks mid-song.
Ultimately, “Cut the Cables” shows lots of promise for this sonically tight duo. Sitting in a room with the lights out as it blares from the stereo is enough to make us feel that music can indeed be sacred again.
Listen at www.myspace.com/theconsolewar.
