Diagonal

From the sound of their eponymous debut, Brighton's Diagonal never heard a record past 1980. Their pastiche of '60s and '70s acid, prog, and jazz-rock is so authentic that it begs the question: why not just listen to the original inspirations? Well, they never had production and chops like this. Diagonal also never succumb to excess. These five tracks total over 46 minutes, but they shapeshift so deftly that they feel much shorter. "Semi-Permeable Men Brain" morphs from a Miles Davis-esque (fusion era) simmer to a swinging, bell-bottomed groove to a bubbling, organ-driven rave-up to a monster percussion break that crate diggers would do well to track down. Other songs are similarly limber. "Deathwatch" mushrooms from Sgt. Pepper's-esque psychedelia to coruscating, King Crimson-esque clean guitars. "Cannon Misfire" sports quirky, funky bass and retro-perfect analog distortion. "Pact" reveals the bandmembers to be more than mere stylists; a lovely ambient bridge leads to a poignant, Pink Floyd-esque rideout. The record isn't all smooth going -- horns and vocals often fall out of tune, and for all their delightful parts, the tracks don't add up to anything greater. This fine debut, though, should afford Diagonal more opportunities to hone their craft. ~ Cosmo Lee|