ALBUM REVIEW: GRAMMATICS – GRAMMATICS
ALBUM REVIEW: Grammatics – Grammatics
Words: Gareth O’Malley
Grammatics have been on the go for a while, you know. Almost three years now, in fact. They’ve gone through various line-up changes and are now a four-piece, consisting of Owen Brinley, Emilia Ergin, Rory O’Hara and Dominic Ord. They are also one of the many outstanding bands to come out of Leeds in recent years, along with Duels, ¡Forward, Russia! (who are on hiatus) and the now-sadly-departed This Et Al. It seems that the Leeds music scene is thriving at the moment, actually – Pulled Apart By Horses, The ABC Club, Dinosaur Pile-Up and I Concur all hail from there… and that’s just off the top of my head.
Grammatics’ sound has evolved steadily over the last while. On the ‘Verity & Reverie’ EP, released in Japan in 2007, they sounded like Cursive – which was a good thing, obviously. Then, as singles were released, they began to sound a lot more like, well, themselves. ‘New Franchise’, especially, showed us that the band were constantly trying new things.
‘The Vague Archive’ was the first proper single from the album, a ‘Verity & Reverie’ track re-recorded and beefed up by James Kenosha, a producer who seems to be working with everyone these days. It is probably the poppiest song on the record. Grammatics aren’t a band who do things by the numbers, however, and the song is transformed about two-thirds of the way in, becoming an altogether more sombre affair.
Released on Dance to the Radio, the album opens with Interpol-esque swells of guitar, heralding ‘Shadow Committee’, one of the best openers I have heard in a while. For many, the band’s signature song, it is a statement of intent, as all great openers on debut albums should be.
Rory and Dominic, the bassist and drummer, respectively, form the band’s rhythm section and work extremely well together, especially on ‘D.I.L.E.M.M.A.’. Each member, however, has their own ‘moment’ on this album – Owen’s duet with Laura Groves on ‘Relentless Fours’ (more on this song later), Emilia’s cello part on ‘Broken Wing’ (particularly during the song’s climax, after Owen switches to falsetto – those three 
seconds directly after the first line define the song for me), Rory’s bass riff after the first chorus on ‘Rosa Flood’, and Dominic… well, he has a few, actually, but his inventive drum pattern on ‘Murderer’ is a particular highlight.
‘Broken Wing’, a former b-side, is one of the two ballads on offer here, along with ‘Cruel Tricks of the Light’. While the latter is a more subdued track, the former is a dramatic song which seems to give out midway into the song, setting up an acoustic bridge, before a climax that is both beautiful and devastating.
You would be forgiven for thinking that it was the album’s centrepiece, as a matter of fact. However, its power is nothing when compared to what follows it. ‘Relentless Fours’ is far and away the best thing the band have recorded to date. The Radiohead comparisons the band have received have resulted in it being likened to ‘Paranoid Android’ off ‘OK Computer’, and I can certainly see the similarities. However, whereas ‘Paranoid Android’ rocked out all too briefly, ‘Relentless Fours’ goes all the way up to eleven. Brinley reckons that ‘Everyone loves a breakdown’ as the song, built on a riff that will remain in your head for days after you’ve heard it, bursts into life. Then, after a section that is practically a capella, we hear a squeal of feedback, and drums. The section of the song that follows is the heaviest we have heard Grammatics thus far, and it is nothing short of mind-blowing. As everything comes crashing down, the riff, a tape loop, briefly reappears, and then the song finishes. Seven minutes of Grammatics doing what they do best.
I’m not going to lie, the album is an exhausting listen, and ‘Inkjet Lakes’ hits the spot perfectly after the chaotic ‘Relentless Fours’. Laura Groves also appears on this track, which is made what it is by Dominic’s drumming and Rory’s bass work.
‘Rosa Flood’ is the ace in the pack, however. The shortest song on the record, it showcases Brinley’s guitar skills, and is one of the standout tracks here – think you can guess the other.
‘Swan Song’, as befits a band like Grammatics, is cinematic in nature, morphing into something quite different after the second chorus, and brings the album to a close in style, as Dominic’s drums once again seem ready to burst through the speakers.
There is only one flaw I can think of, and that is the inclusion of a hidden track after ‘Swan Song’. It doesn’t seem to fit in when you consider the epic nature of the closer, but it isn’t a big deal when you think of everything that’s gone before it.
Coming in at just over an hour in length, ‘Grammatics’ is by no means immediate. It is a rewarding listen, however, and will reveal itself to you over time.
Grammatics have set the bar for 2009. Talented musicians all, they have created something which is worthy of all the praise it has received. Simply put, this is the best debut album I have heard in years. Do yourself a favour and give this record some of your time. You won’t regret it, trust me.
9.4
mp3: Grammatics – Rosa Flood (zShare)
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