In keeping with their claims to having been inspired by early-'90s indie rock and screamo, one would expect Philadelphia's
Elder to fill their eponymous EP with lengthy, shoegazing meditations married to lots and lots of screaming. In reality, this is only the case with tracks one and three -- the alternately dreamy, wistful, and royally pissed off "Town of Clay" and "Golden Flower" (talk about a double-take of a title!) -- where bassist Armando Morales and guitarist Craig Woods engage in a spirited (and often grating) shouting match comprised of high shrieks and low growls. Nestled snuggly in between, the strictly gentle, dreamy instrumental "Shifting Gaze" sounds like bite-sized
Pelican, and in conjunction with its angrier counterparts amounts to a pleasant but hardly life-altering release. Kudos to the band and label Forge Again, though, for wrapping up this limited-edition, 400-unit pressing in a very striking package. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia