Like a glimpse from beneath heavy eyelids, “FOOTPLATEMAN” teases us with the promise of something beautiful on the other end of darkness if only we’re strong enough to seek it out. The same can be said for the structurally conflicted “Chester’s Thing” as well.
Truth be told, scarcely does it feel as though we’re not trying to find the brighter side of things when venturing into the cavernous instrumental mind of The Grunions this June, whose new album in Shadow Breaker doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to breaking down conventional songwriting foundations, predictability, and even something as simple as the common relationship between a drum set and a selection of the right guitar strings. The Grunions’ underground rank might deceive some people coming into this record; of all the alternative works I’ve sampled from in the past year, this channels the most intimate vibes through minimalism (“Pink Manta,” “Magnet Head”) and surreal bombast (“Keep It Sh’Breezee,” at the same time. Shadow Breaker has a lot of drive, and it feels like an identity album if I’ve ever listened to one before.
The lead guitar always seems to be a little removed from whatever bass play we’re hearing in songs like “Shadow Breaker” and “Aphelion,” and I think this was deliberately done in the mixing process to create some juxtaposition between the presence of the instrumentation and that of the groove as it’s implied through the band’s collective play. The softer parts in “Ophiuchus Spector” are capable of inflicting the most pain when you’re in a vulnerable mood and unprepared for the brooding tonal lash they can dish out, but in the grander scheme of things, they help to shape the personality of Shadow Breaker as nothing else could have.
CD BABY: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/thegrunions5
All of the instruments in this record, whether we’re talking about guitars or basses or anything else that can be mustered forth into the big picture, or even something as simple as a subtle jab behind the main beat at the forefront of the spotlight, it’s all possessing a superb weightiness that I normally don’t expect to find anywhere in pop or rock anymore because of the stripped-down aesthetics trending on both sides of the dial.
I wasn’t listening to The Grunions before I got my hands on a pre-release copy of the excellently stylish Shadow Breaker this June, but the contents of this nine-song tracklist have left me energized about seeing where this act goes next. Right off the top, the tone contained in songs like “Aphelion” is unforgivingly introspective, but it is not so enclosed that it’s inaccessible to the listener. I haven’t come across a record as volatile and immersive by design in a long while now, and it doesn’t feel like an isolated incident. Shadow Breaker follows in the tradition of the classic instrumental psych LP in borrowing enough from the surreal and post-pop concepts to be pure, complete, and yet frankly unhinged when it matters the most. Top to bottom, this is a five-star effort.
Jodi Marxbury