Unsolved (Y2K 25th Anniversary Edition)

ワープド・ツアーのポップパンクやAmerican Apparel 系のインディーロックがポスト Y2K の奇妙なギターバンド・シーンを席巻していた頃にボストンの Karate は、アンダーグラウンドな音の層を自在に行き来する没入感のあるロックを鳴らしていた。2000年にリリースされた本作は静寂の中にかつての荒削りな激しさを秘めた作品であり、それはジャズの洗練されたメロディーやスロウコアの抑制された美しさと絡み合っている。今回の25周年記念盤はオリジナルの2000年盤に収録されていた Side D を忠実に再現しさらに 『Death Kit 7"』 と Crown Hate Ruin とのスプリット盤 も収録。

With a mixture of jazz-influenced fluidity and nearby noodling, Karate's fourth album delivers dramatic stop/start rock that ebbs and flows and is sparked, at its' best moments, by lost narratives and cutting guitar work. Occasionally it is only the crisp, billowy, unsteady patterns of drummer Gavin McCarthy that remind you that this is not a pop-fusion effort from the late '70s. The unsettling moments and the ever-present tension that make a band like June Of '44 take on the same territory more successfully are replaced by an over-reliance on technical proficiency and shifting time signatures. Certainly there is some great interplay between the bassist and drummer, resulting in some truly solid rhythms and a pervading sense of anger pops up on "Sever" that attempts to pull the listener in. Throughout the record, Geoff Farina's lyrical asides manage to balance out the pretentious with the tossed-off. Although this release never finds the trio hitting the emotional heights they achieved on their first two albums, Karate and In Place Of Real Insight -- they've managed to expand the breadth of their sound as well as help set the bar a bit higher for musical proficiency in the realm of indie rock. ~ Jon Pruett