Inouk's opening sequence is frail and muffled, like a field recording of a drunk Irish tenor. Even though "What I Want" soon leaps into something totally unexpected, becoming a pulsing blend of sweet and angular that gives pointy squawk a voice on the sweeter side of indie, it's the evocation of that creaky opening frame that makes
No Danger so incredible. Like
TV on the Radio,
Inouk laps whatever genre it's slotted in, offering more ideas per song than most rock hopefuls have in their white leather belts. Through rich harmony, sly prog rock references, and trusty old indie melancholia,
No Danger becomes a noir Western in multiple acts, with Yul Brynner's Gunslinger playing bass guitar. The production's in black and white naturally, with plenty of time-delay close-ups of blooming and dying flowers.
Damon McMahon's voice soars and cracks as needed throughout; his brother Alexander McMahon's vocals are less histrionic, but equally limber. The latter's "Somewhere in France" is gentle and scary, an updated murder ballad. "Search for the Bees" reappears from
Inouk's earlier EP. It expands its brittle little melodies into surging interlocking themes of squelchy keyboards and Ian Fenger's keening electric guitar. The crescendo of "Bees" leads effortlessly into the parlor of "With the Birds," a place that poses lush pre-rock pop against the blotchy indie rock instrumentation. The album can meander, so it might not grab those in need of an immediate hooky fix. But as an album of dusty and dark, delicate and dramatic themes,
No Danger is a force. Highlights include the Palace-ish "Nudie Suit," "What I Want," and the slitting lead vocal trade-offs of "Island." ~ Johnny Loftus