Too Much Needless Space Discourages Repeat Listens
There is quite evidently something going on here. Any album that starts with the quiet and unimposing 2 Minute Requiem only to be followed by the rumbling call to arms that is Youth Of America is clearly a complex beast. Complexity by itself is not necessarily enough, however. For whilst "Lost Transmissions" is occasionally punctuated by the intense slow burning melodrama of tracks like 'End Of The World', the kind of song that from humble beginnings great rock monsters come, there is not enough in between to hold your ear. Case in point is the aforementioned opener. 2 minutes it may be, but it feels like an age, such is the lack of any substance within. An attempt is clearly being made to set the scene, but T.S.R do themselves and their songs a disservice. There is no need to set the scene to tracks like 'Youth Of America' or 'The Fear' as they stand up by themselves, and considering their length, adding two minutes of needless plucking and tapping to the beginning is like doing a fun run before a marathon.
It can’t be a lack of conviction which is holding back this London fivesome, however. Lyrically "Lost Transmissions" is to the point and transparent. “Youth of America rise up/give up your right to bear arms/now’s your time/show them what you can do,” the snappily titled 'Sonic James Doom' commands in this open letter to the adolescents across the pond.
Musically, it’s post-rock, it’s shoegazer, it’s crunchy and yet ambient, and should be played at high volume. Which is not to suggest the production needs a boost, but in order to appreciate the many levels and layers of "Lost Transmissions" it’s best cranked to eleven. Only then do the rumbling drums, the high-end guitar work, and the urgent bass lines begin to make sense. At their best T.S.R are near essential.
When listened to from start to finish, however, the album fails to maintain what momentum it produces as too often great crescendos and climaxes are followed by tame, limp instrumentals which drift on to no apparent conclusion, seemingly killing time before the next proper song begins.