Matthew Tsai
06/17/09, 01:48 PM
Point Juncture, WA - Heart to Elk
Record Label: Mt. Fuji Records
Release Date: February 19th, 2009
It can be a beautiful thing when a band takes the established sounds of different genres and meshes them in a single unified sound. Granted, most of the time, such experimentation results in failure (see: "Jackson Five" by Falling Up, and the popular-to-hate BC13), but remember how heartland rockers Springsteen and Petty got their sound? The genre was a stint carefully glued together by rock'n'roll, RnB and the blues and turned out some of the most memorable artists in music history.
Point Juncture, WA is, ironically, a Portland, OR based collaboration trying to do the same. On Heart to Elk, they blend the subtleties of the modern alternative music scene -- emo, indie and folk -- with some more eclectic elements -- jazz, math-rock and, if you listen closely, a little shoegaze. The result isn't as risky as it sounds; it's not like they're throwing hip-hop or hardcore in the mix, but still, projects like these are usually judged by the black and whites of either success or failure without any middle ground. Heart to Elk, though, is a success. It's not perfect by any means, but it's enjoyable and doesn't sound forced in any way, and that's enough to earn a "success" label for this disc.
The album isn't so daunting once you realize it more or less treads the same path Anathallo has taken. It opens with "Rocks & Sand," a calm, curious folk beauty blanketed with soft percussion and eventually evolves into the opening keyboards of "Once Tasted Ever Wanted." The latter is an unconventional number where horns appear and the math-rock lets loose, resulting in one of the best tracks on the disc. "New Machine" is a bass-heavy continuation of the over-arching sound, but also introduces the first appearance of male vocals. For a soft and slow thirteen-track ticker, a mix-up of duties is a pleasant contrast to the ears, especially since the first two tracks were led by female vocals.
"Biathalon" picks up the pace for a slightly faster rocker bathed in head-bob-inducing distortion. "The Kings Were Good" is another Anathallo-invoking twinkler that serves almost as an intermission with its sparkling xylophones. "Viking Mission to Mars" is one of the more accessible songs in the same vein as "Biathalon," and "The Easy Winners" closes the album on a epitomic note, summarizing the entire album in in a four-and-a-half minute period.
If there's one thing Heart to Elk suffers from, it's a looming sense of boredom. The album is a mood record more than anything; it can't really compete against the energy of Anathallo or Sufjan Stevens. Still, its intricacies will have to be happy with their "acquired taste" roles. Ultimately, Point Juncture, WA are playing a brand of music that will be esoteric to most, and just right for some, in the right conditions. Despite these negatives, however, Heart to Elk is a ready glimpse into what the future may hold for a more improved Point Juncture, WA. Indie enthusiasts, keep careful tabs on this band.
Portland indie, Sufjan Stevens, Anathallo, diversity
Check out Point Juncture, WA on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/ptjuncturewa).
Record Label: Mt. Fuji Records
Release Date: February 19th, 2009
It can be a beautiful thing when a band takes the established sounds of different genres and meshes them in a single unified sound. Granted, most of the time, such experimentation results in failure (see: "Jackson Five" by Falling Up, and the popular-to-hate BC13), but remember how heartland rockers Springsteen and Petty got their sound? The genre was a stint carefully glued together by rock'n'roll, RnB and the blues and turned out some of the most memorable artists in music history.
Point Juncture, WA is, ironically, a Portland, OR based collaboration trying to do the same. On Heart to Elk, they blend the subtleties of the modern alternative music scene -- emo, indie and folk -- with some more eclectic elements -- jazz, math-rock and, if you listen closely, a little shoegaze. The result isn't as risky as it sounds; it's not like they're throwing hip-hop or hardcore in the mix, but still, projects like these are usually judged by the black and whites of either success or failure without any middle ground. Heart to Elk, though, is a success. It's not perfect by any means, but it's enjoyable and doesn't sound forced in any way, and that's enough to earn a "success" label for this disc.
The album isn't so daunting once you realize it more or less treads the same path Anathallo has taken. It opens with "Rocks & Sand," a calm, curious folk beauty blanketed with soft percussion and eventually evolves into the opening keyboards of "Once Tasted Ever Wanted." The latter is an unconventional number where horns appear and the math-rock lets loose, resulting in one of the best tracks on the disc. "New Machine" is a bass-heavy continuation of the over-arching sound, but also introduces the first appearance of male vocals. For a soft and slow thirteen-track ticker, a mix-up of duties is a pleasant contrast to the ears, especially since the first two tracks were led by female vocals.
"Biathalon" picks up the pace for a slightly faster rocker bathed in head-bob-inducing distortion. "The Kings Were Good" is another Anathallo-invoking twinkler that serves almost as an intermission with its sparkling xylophones. "Viking Mission to Mars" is one of the more accessible songs in the same vein as "Biathalon," and "The Easy Winners" closes the album on a epitomic note, summarizing the entire album in in a four-and-a-half minute period.
If there's one thing Heart to Elk suffers from, it's a looming sense of boredom. The album is a mood record more than anything; it can't really compete against the energy of Anathallo or Sufjan Stevens. Still, its intricacies will have to be happy with their "acquired taste" roles. Ultimately, Point Juncture, WA are playing a brand of music that will be esoteric to most, and just right for some, in the right conditions. Despite these negatives, however, Heart to Elk is a ready glimpse into what the future may hold for a more improved Point Juncture, WA. Indie enthusiasts, keep careful tabs on this band.
Portland indie, Sufjan Stevens, Anathallo, diversity
Check out Point Juncture, WA on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/ptjuncturewa).