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Sep 20, 2018 Web Exclusive By Michael James Hall

On only their third full-length in the last decade, Beak>, the Bristol trio led by Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, meld their overt Krautrock obsessions with a slice of subdued psychedelia. Spotted with muffled, R. Stevie Moore-like vocals and bathed in warm, low electronica, >>> holds some of the band’s most immersive and enveloping material to date.

“Birthday Suit” proves to be a lulling, waking dream that subtly builds instrumental tension and leaves the listener with a strange, surprising sense of dread while “Harvester” feels like a Roky Erickson outtake—that’s meant in the most positive way possible—and serves as a great companion piece to the lengthy sci-fi soundtrack workout that is “Allé Sauvage.”

“Abbots Leigh” throws up some startling folk-horror racket before settling into a funereal riff, dissonance and general Wicker Mannery—a strong example of why the band was chosen to provide music for 2016’s savage film Couple in a Hole; while in a similar vein the brief “Teisco” offers a John Carpenter sense of foreboding despite its brevity and simplicity.

If “RSI” is a little obvious—-all driving repetition and chanted, muffled voice—then “King of the Castle” marks itself out as something special—a refreshing lo-fi post-punk tune with hints of early grunge.

This pairs well with closer “When We Fall,” a soft-focus folk tune—guitar warped, vocal hesitantly tracked—a DIY drifter that feels both uniquely emotive and hopeful in comparison to the rest of this record.

It’s an album that appears to slip constantly out of focus, the listener often unsure of where they’ll be taken next, what genre they’ll slide towards in the following moments. Above all it feels “other” and despite wearing some influences on its’ sleeve, that makes it very close to unique. (www.beak.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10