Dark And Dull
After a smattering of self released E.P’s and their not so distant label debut Apse release their first full length effort ‘Spirit’ a brooding, rhythmic, goth friendly effort similar in style to Lycia’s less hardcore work.
The only problem is it’s all very boring. And by boring I mean that if you can stay awake beyond the drum induced banality of 2nd track ‘From The North’ and manage to listen to the rest of this album you’ll wonder why you didn’t just curl up and use your time more productively by napping.
It’s an exercise in repetition from start to finish. Drums beat, distant ghostly voices chant whilst periodically other instruments can be heard battling to improve the tedious transatlantic tosh on offer. I don’t doubt that Apse believe they are making something profound and intelligent (they might well be) but they can’t possibly fail to see that their whole musical experience is one of almost complete uniformity. If they were a guitar by numbers four piece sporting pork pie hats, pasty faces and greasy hair and proceeded to string together eleven almost identical efforts they’d be pilloried, so why on earth should Apse be treated more leniently purely because they seem to have a less mainstream sound?
In amongst the authoritative plodding of ‘Spirit’ there is little that stands out as being different from the rest of what is on offer and as such highlighting a single track as a standout is next to impossible (though the overly long ‘Blackwood Gates’ is easily the worst on offer). Compliments can however be paid to the bands belief in their work, decent arrangement and genuinely impressive technical abilities. Beyond that I’m really struggling to pin down anything which could be construed as interesting or impressive.
Cape Cod’s current finest Apse formed nine years ago in Connecticut and you’d have thought that after all that time they’d have been able to cobble something a little more memorable and inspiring together than this aural antidote for insomnia. Let’s hope the next decade proves a little more productive and that any future release doesn’t further blemish their career. The boring badge is a tough one to shake, just ask that lonely geezer in the pub corner sitting alone with the Financial Times and a tomato juice.