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PinbackSummer In Abaddon Rogue/Inertia Pinback is primarily a duo comprising of Rob Crow, who has too many projects to mention, and Armistead Burwell Smith IV of Three Mile Pilot, which has been on permanent hiatus while the other members focus on Black Heart Procession. Together they have gathered a loyal band of followers in the US, but until now they haven't made much of an impact here. This album should change all of that. 'Summer In Abaddon' starts with a flourish with Non Photo-Blue. I couldn't imagine it being topped with its fascinatingly morbid lyrics, tumbling chorus, and instrumentations that jerk along beautifully; but then it's at the very least equalled by the insanely memorable chorus of Sender. The quality of the songs doesn't let up for the whole set, even for the Australian-only bonus track, Todo; a charmingly melodic piece that fits right in with the rest of the album. Closing track AFK is the epic of the collection, with shouted vocals that blend magnificently into cascading melodies. Elemental references feature heavily on 'Summer In Abaddon,' especially water. Despite being full of haunting and dark lyrical imagery with such phrases as "Summer is only winter with you" and "I'm wishing we fall into the well," Crow and Smith don't allow the proceedings to get too gloomy. They do this in two ways. Firstly by injecting comforting lyrics such as "safe as a cootie-wootie with you" but secondly because the angular, plodding melodies are so infectious that it's easy to just sit back and be carried on them. It's only on further listening that the layered lyrics begin to unravel. I could see how some might criticise 'Summer In Abaddon' for not being dynamic enough, but that would be missing the point. Most of the album ticks by like clockwork, but that's exactly why the keys, drums, bass, and guitars work so well, locked together in unison. And besides that, pretty much every song has a melodic or vocal hook. Or both. 'Summer In Abaddon' is meant to be one of those incongruent album titles: Abaddon is meant to be a place of destruction, but listening to this album will send you to a much more tranquil place.  |
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