Gone from the Regina band's repertoire are the infectious, smile-inducing pop anthems and in their place we find plodding, grinding noisescapes.
The tone for the record is set from the get-go with the opener "Some Mezcal Morning". It's a heavy on guitar drone, falling somewhere between whacked-out Neil Young and Lee Ranaldo. "Snowshoe Training Might Save Your Life" is sprawling, verging on Besnard Lakes territory.
A little more listenable is "Antimatters of the Heart", a song that low on fidelity, but also low on engagement. The fuzzy "John Farrell Buffalo" has a deeply buried hook if you can get passed the methodical pace.
A handful of moments do give a nod to their former glory. The surf guitar of "Space Age", and the up tempo garage rock of "Use Your Allusion I & II" and "Windsor Hum" do provide for decent tracks, but nothing unshakable.
It's a sad turn for Library Voices. We already have plenty of bands that sound like they do on this EP. I would've been content for them to go on about their business making me smile.
Library Voices play the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on August 28th.
Best tracks: "Space Age", "Use Your Allusion I & II"
Track listing for For John:
- Some Mezcal Morning
- Space Age
- Antimatters of the Heart
- John Farrell Buffalo
- Snowshoe Training Might Save Your Life
- Use Your Allusion I & II
- Windsor Hum
5.5/10
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