The Way and Color
22 April 2014
Carpark
4.5 stars out of 5
The Way and Color
is the second LP by Halifax-spawned, Brooklyn-based TEEN. It features some
compelling guitar-less rock music that draws from the post-punk of The
Raincoats, throwing in lethal doses of dub bass and that tricky quality known
as “quirk.” A very solid and complex record, The Way and Color seems to arrive from outer space, in that—while
it does draw from other artists in very minimal amounts—it seems to represent
an entire cosmos of musical forms in and of itself.
“Rose 4 U” mutates into more forms in under five minutes
than your typical cat-based internet meme. “Sticky” dives headlong into dub
territory, while “Breathe Low & Deep” extends that dub into an epic sprawl
of prog-rock insanity worthy of Robert Wyatt. “More Than I Ask For” contains
echoes of St. Vincent in its vocal melodies
while invoking Massive Attack in its instrumental arrangement. “Toi Toi Toi” is
the most “pop” song on the album, though full of off-tempo low vibrations and general
weirdness.
TEEN have smashed through a wall and entered into another
musical dimension with The Way and Color.
While The Raincoats are the easiest comparison, and one could make a very
tentative and not-very-convincing argument for The Slits, TEEN really can’t
count many others in their clique. A unique album by a unique band, The Way and Color is one of my
favourites of the year so far.
reviewed by Richard Krueger
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