With a title that's a play on words,
Methyl Ethel's third album of a self-described trilogy,
Triage, was produced, performed, and recorded by Jake Webb at his home studio, though its lush, lopsided textures hardly sound like what was a solo effort until the mixing stage. Parts melancholy, trippy, and dancy, he combined programmed and traditional instruments, including his own synth timbres, layering them in ways that sound more like atmospheric arena fare than what was essentially a one-man recording project. (At this point, Webb continues to perform live with bandmates.) Having said that,
Triage sounds a little older and wiser than
Methyl Ethel's first two albums without relinquishing the project's psychedelic quality and dissatisfied demeanor. In fact, he adds another component, weaving an '80s new wave/post-punk influence into his complex blend of neo-psychedelia, introspective alt-rock, and dream pop. In the most obvious example, "Trip the Mains" offers blunt, early Casio-style synth tones, needling synth bass, and post-disco drum-machine beats on a wistful dance tune that Webb has said was influenced by listening to
the Cure and
Scary Monsters at the time. Songs like "Scream Whole" and "Real Tight" also evoke the turn of the 1980s with glistening, staccato keyboard chords, yearning vocal lines, and ringing melodic guitar. Elsewhere, the giddy, operatic "Post-Blue" takes a more dramatic turn as it travels through sections that vary in tempo, rhythm, instrumentation, and key. It's reflective of an album that's part catchy song, part shimmering atmosphere, and part fractured rumination. It will be interesting to see what Webb comes up with for album four; in the meantime,
Triage offers
Methyl Ethel's most immersive collection to date. ~ Marcy Donelson