Idle Bloom, of Nashville, creates an alternative rock that consists of a 90’s style that is grungy and also has a noisy, melodic, emotional quality to it. Their new full-length Little Deaths consists of some remnants of their former EP, Some Paranoia. Due to time constraints, they scrapped their original idea of a full-length, dropped the EP instead, and allowed their remaining tracks to age to perfection. Although the overall sound is grunge-based, one can hear influences of the indie and noise-rock scenes of the 90’s embedded within each track.
The album begins with a song titled, “Seeker.” It is a melodic grunge track with a smooth rhythm and just the right amount of noise. The vocal melodies blend perfectly with the simple but powerful instrumentation. The lead guitar plays as an addition to the sonic atmosphere by continuously bending higher notes, a nice touch of a Sonic Youth feel. The next track, “Hive,” is much more upbeat and closer to a post-punk indie-pop-rock sound. The complexity of the drums stand out, in that they are able to shift the mood of the song all over the place, and are not stuck to standard patterns or styles. The other instruments seem like they are also playing together for pure enjoyment, the rhythm guitar and bass play a jumpy riff together while the lead guitar, again, dances with higher frequencies. The track ends with a build up to an instrumental section where the synergy of the band is at its peak.
“Dust” is the catchiest song on the album; the rhythm rides on a rotary and has a natural ebb and flow that makes for a very fluid track. The drums lead the song in on the toms and snare, they use some feedback as a layer, and then the guitars come in with a similar style to the other tracks with the rhythm grungy and fuzzy and the lead playing higher frequencies. Despite the fluidity of the instrumentation, the vocal melody is very stop-and-go, creating a nice dichotomy of movement. During the verses the drums drop the cymbal work, the guitar draws out in feedback, the bass lets out the slightest of rumbles, while the vocals are brought to the forefront as if giving a speech. These verses lead in and out of instrumental jam sessions, building intensity through the repeated pattern, and eventually give way to a very powerful ending.
Little Deaths sounds thrown together in a way as far as track placement goes. The feel also seems to jump around from track to track, and even switch up within tracks. This is probably due to the album’s background of aged tracks from another time, brought back together with new material. Regardless, Idle Bloom does a commendable job with using their style of accumulated influences to create a unique 90’s sound in the 2010’s.
Rating: 7.0/10