San Francisco’s The Union Trade impressed me with their debut EP in the early stages of 2007. Within ‘Now The Swell’ were four tracks which avoided post-rock/dreampop cliché thanks to their slightly-countrified guitars and a song-based approach. Although slightly dirgey in parts, ‘Everyday Including’ consolidates the good form.
‘Talk’ sees the twin-guitar approach screaming towards a nerve-jangling conclusion. It’s referred to as a key track but I prefer some of the more refined material included here. In fact the first three songs are pushed towards the heavy-handed side of post-rock. ‘For The Resilient’ – in contrary to its title- is easier to listen to; its refreshingly simple chorus is a defiant, fist-punching affair that packs a genuine urgency. Meanwhile, another track clocking in at under four minutes, ‘Like Minded’, manages to invest some emotions into the crashing waves of guitars.
Tellingly, two tracks from the EP – the subtly aching ‘Strings Break’ and the self-explanatory ‘Violent And Beautiful – are included and rank amongst the best material here. I would have also loved to have heard an extended version of the short but elegant instrumental fragment ‘The Nights Are Getting Longer’. Unfortunately, too much time is given to ‘Crescent’ which bulldozes towards its conclusion in gruelling rather than melodic fashion.
Overall, ‘Everyday Including’ is a little disappointing because it doesn’t improve enough on the earlier (admittedly highly impressive) EP. However, so long as The Union Trade concentrate on writing songs rather than focus on dramatic noise, this will serve them well for future releases.
Web Sites:
The Union Trade Official Site
The Union Trade MySpace
Further Listening:
Explosions In The Sky, Argentine
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