There's a not-often-remarked-upon factor of the rise in popularity of bands like
Mogwai,
M83, and
Godspeed You Black Emperor! -- no lyrics (for the most part) means even readier acceptance in different countries. Thus a band like Lebanon, who on their debut effort shows that they've got the right spirit down, though as yet they're still making initial steps rather than a distinct mark. Still, first albums are often the province of demonstrating influences, so the trick is to do that well enough to warrant further attention.
Sunken City thankfully is an enjoyably familiar listen instead of an irritating one, with the quintet -- four musicians and a spoken word performer, though the latter's work appears more in the CD booklet than on the disc -- aided by producer/engineer Amir Schorr in creating a combination of calm guitar atmospherics and epic-scale cascades of feedback. Opening song "Ghost Head Nebula" sets the stage expectedly enough, down to the soft/loud/soft dynamics, but there's an occasional guitar part that stands out, capturing a lost and lonesome feeling just so. This kind of subtle but sweet touch is what the band will need to build on for the future and there are many other instances of it throughout
Sunken City. There's instances like a sudden delicate guitar filigree on "Ayaloncity Blues," the fluid bass introduction to "Bicycle," and some of the distorted soloing on "1983." Also to their credit, not everything is intense hyperdrama -- "Highschool" almost gently moseys along at its start, building up but never thoroughly exploding until its end, and even then it's an almost triumphant, uplifting feeling of escape. The immediately following "Horror Movie," despite its title, is actually a predominantly acoustic reverie. Though the album gets a bit monochromatic toward the end, there's enough here to reasonably build on -- where the band wants to go next is up to them. ~ Ned Raggett