Album Review: Aficionado - When It Comes To Creation
"Don't get me wrong, i'm all for creation, but the difference here is that there is no difference here" yells Nick Warchol à la Cedric Bixler-Zavala after a stop/start crunchy guitars cum piano mini-melodies with the aim of kicking off Aficionado's EP in thumping fashion. Opening track 'When It Comes To Creation' tackles themes of originality, something the band clearly have in bucketfuls, meddling weirdness with the instrumental patchwork sowing of the Tubelord variety covered in vocals somewhere amongst Billy Corgan and At The Drive-In. The track is a great introduction to the lunacy that this band showcases. Get ready for one hell of a ride.'Do Nothing, Be Nothing' is the continuation of their own brand of sound-making, with a nice dramatic edge (helped along by the keys) before it bursts into a soloing section out of nowhere, showcasing the top-notch musicianship available in Aficionado. Themes of lack of ambition propulse the lyrics into relevant theory, while keeping a keen eye on the pop sensibilities. Trumpets are added towards the last quarter of the song and adds more excitement to a track already dripping with brilliance. The music is, again, relentless, but the shifting shapes and forms make for one of the most musically entertaining rides you're likely to hear this year.
Chris Tenerowicz' solitary brass accompaniment help flesh out the emotion of 'The Myth About Real Life', a song that lacks some of the urgency apparent in the opening two tracks, but only because it dares hint at maybe following a more familiar strong structure. However, it still kicks in with crashing cymbals and distorted guitars and interweaves a patchwork of ideas leading to a chorus that'll grow on you. 'Naysayers' is bass player Chris Kehoe's time to shine. Certainly it is yet another "ensemble cast" type track, but his opening punk rock bassline and retracted work in the song before sensational work into the instrumental interlude. The song is less catchy, but the intricate work put into building these songs up is worth repeated listens.
'The Same Original Idea' is a "we won't sacrifice our weirdness for a ballad" type track with hints to softer stylings before it bursts into sections that will have crowds chanting and air-guitaring before they look for a partner to waltz with. The fact that a band are capable of enticing this much variety and not sound out of place must imply a whole lot of hard work and make them all the more exciting. The female vocal parts towards the end of the song make for a nice breath of fresh impulse, not allowing the song to fade one bit. On the other hand, closer 'I Don't Believe We've Met' is a bit of a let down as the creativity and madness are underdone and they sound a bit like an At The Drive-In tribute band that's listened to too much americana. Had this song been cut off, Aficionado's 'When It Comes To Creation EP' would've made the perfect introduction to a band that need to go far.
There is no excuse for missing out on this band, and the loyal listener will find satisfaction in the multiple layers to be uncovered. They are the new "we're not indie and still capable of being fricking awesome". You must get on this now.
5/5
'When It Comes To Creation' by Aficionado is released on October 5th through No Sleep Records.
Aficionado on MySpace
James Berclaz-Lewis
