This Texas based twosome, formerly Yellow Fever, loses its lo-fi luster.
Hardly Art,2012
4.9 / 10.0
Not much has really changed since this Austin, Texas post-punk duo released their 2009 self-titled debut as Yellow Fever. Their bass driven songs still move at a crawl and Jennifer Moore’s vocals, which at times mirror those of Florence Welch, are still top notch. To be honest, there’s really only been one major change since then, but it alters the feel of the whole album. You see, Yellow Fever’s sound had a sparsity that created more atmosphere than cavernous reverb ever could. You’ve heard of three chord rock, right? Well, Yellow Fever just may have invented three note rock. This lack of sparsity really ruins what could have been a great album, unfortunately.
Just to clear things up, I don’t automatically dismiss a band that expands or evolves their sound. In fact, I greatly prefer Bon Iver’s self-titled sophomore album to For Emma ,Forever Ago. The problem with Deep Time is that the added elements — a bouncy organ melody on “Gold” and glockenspiel in “Sgt. Sierra” – end up sounding like a cross between reggae and children’s music and can be tough to take seriously. The few tracks that do stay focused on the bass, “Bermuda Triangle” and “Marathon”, are able to maintain my interest for a few listens but aren’t able to hold up next to most of the songs on Yellow Fever.
It’s a shame that Deep Time didn’t re-use the lo-fi vibe created on Yellow Fever. I was really looking forward to a sequel to that album. Only time will tell if this Texan twosome will continue to “progress” or look to the past for inspiration.
Purchase: Deep Time – Deep Time
