Thee Reps: Minimal Surface (Gold Bolus, 2019)

April 26, 2019 at 6:50 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Thee Reps: Minimal Surface

Thee Reps play a form of minimalist instrumental rock which seems deceptively simply at first, but once all the layers add up, you’re not quite sure the group managed to fit all the parts together. Some of the parts are jaunty and friendly — the keyboards almost sound like they could’ve been played by a kid — but the parts are arranged into patterns that sometimes aren’t quite in sync, but begin to make sense later. “Head for Sand” ends up with a sparse breakdown, but the group generally keeps an interlocking rhythmic pulse. “Punisher” has a consistent pounding beat, and the stringed instruments and backing vocals play back-and-forth head games. “Music ti Watch ’97 Flyers Highlights To” has a bit more of a complex, proggy arrangement. Things get a bit shadowy with “Qumran (Don’t Spit in the Sacred Place)”, but “Nature Rides Again” ends the album on a breezy, optimistic stride.

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The Answer Is In The Beat