To say that
Found's 2011 sophomore effort,
Factorycraft, is less experimental than the Scottish trio's 2006 debut, Found Can Move, is to assume that they were really all that experimental in the first place. Yes,
Found are also known for their multimedia art installations such as the Cybraphon "robot band" which won a BAFTA in 2009. That said, Found Can Move was about as experimental as any
Beta Band release, and pretty much showcased the band's inclination for groove-oriented melodic rock with some interesting field recordings and electronics thrown into the mix. The biggest change on
Factorycraft is
Found's move from that more groove-oriented sound toward a more folk-rock and melodic pop direction. In that sense, the tracks here are often atmospheric and expansive, falling somewhere in between the rambling melodicism and literate musings of
Pavement and the echoey folk-rock of
the Shins. To these ends, you get the nervy, stripped-down
Billy Bragg-meets-
Paolo Nutini lead-off cut "Anti-Climb Paint," and the band's rootsy take on
the Killers-brand of post-punk uplift "I'll Wake with a Seismic Head No More." Similarly engaging are such tracks as the big-beat, '60s-meets-indie-electronic cut "Machine Age Dancing," and the yearning, shoegazey mid-album cut "Shallow." Ultimately, while it is clear based on
Factorycraft that
Found aren't the same band you'd expect to hear playing at an art opening anymore, they are a band you might be pleasantly surprised to run into at a local pub, and that's something a lot harder to find. ~ Matt Collar