Love Of Diagrams
Mosaic
Matador


This Melbourne-based punk-tinged trio have garnered some attention for their eccentric, fiery sound thus far. Following a series of EPs, tours as support for acts like Sonic Youth, and the use of one of their songs on 'The OC,' the band has funnelled their sound into their first full-length album. The result, 'Mosaic', is certainly not a sound that will be to everyone's tastes, but it is an interesting listen nonetheless.

Within the first 30 seconds of the opening track, Form And Function, a few things become apparent about the band: most of all, their focus on developing an unusual sound over developing their lyrics. This is not a bad thing at all, as the lyrics themselves are telling of the band's emphasis on the atmosphere their music evokes. As Luke Horton sings 'there's no relation/there's just form and function,' it become clear that the focus is not on words, but on ensuring that the stuttering drums, sparse vocals and meandering guitars form a strangely hypnotic whole.

Despite this focus on the whole as opposed to the individual tracks, there are still a few noticeable peaks and valleys in the album, such as the aggressive, call-and-response vocals of Pace Or The Patience or the quiet, echoing Double. Antonia Sellbach's ululating twisting vocals are an ideal fit for the sound of the album. However, like the other instruments, her voice seems designed to fit as a part of the whole, rather than stand out from it.

By the end of the album's 40 minutes, even the mosaic on the album cover reveals itself as an element of Love Of Diagrams' design ethos. The pieces might seem a bit strange on their own, but they combine into a very cohesive piece of post-punk.


Brian O'Neill