- Mon, 2011-07-04 14:25
If Californian six-piece Evaline are yet to establish themselves as a major force in the rock world it’s not for lack of ambition or potential. Over the course of two EPs and six years of touring and hard graft the band have fine-tuned their complex and majestic alternative rock, winning themselves high-profile support (The Used and Placebo just two examples) as well as a core of adoring fans. With the release of their debut album, Woven Material, it seems likely that the secret will finally be out and Evaline’s name will become as big as their sound.
Beneath The Fire, the opening track of Woven Material, serves as a pretty fitting introduction to the band. Clocking in at just under seven minutes, an urgent rhythm and echoing vocals are submerged in a sea of guitars and atmospheric sounds that alternately intensify and mellow as they work their way towards an imposing climax. Melody interacts with noise, subtly trades blows with brashness, and throughout it all there is a sort of gothic grandeur that speaks of storm clouds lingering over dramatic vistas.
Throughout the rest of the album these two sides to the band’s personality continue to duel and dance with each other. At moments one or other of the instincts seems to win out. On There There, for example, the gang vocals, distorted bass and brusque guitars leave no room for pretty details, while Who You Are is a (perhaps slightly dull) piano and vocal-led ballad that revels in its softness of touch. For the majority of the time, however, beauty and the beast appear side by side.
The sound that results carries a number of echoes. There is a sneering irreverence that recurs throughout, recalling The Cooper Temple Clause’s first two albums, its presence particularly strong on the tempestuous track Ascend. Movement from sublime melody to chaotic noise brings to mind the more boisterous moments of Muse’s Origin Of Symmetry, or the bruised elegance of My Vitriol. More than anything though - and perhaps somewhat bizarrely - Evaline’s music evokes the spirit of Mansun and elements of The Verve’s more leftfield output. Both bands were capable of layering disparate sounds to create something simultaneously sweet and vaguely unsettling, and that is exactly the atmosphere that permeates Woven Material, albeit with the volume turned up a few notches.
As ready to soothe as it is to shout, rich detail and intelligent composition abound on Woven Material. A demanding listen (at 55 minutes perhaps a little too demanding for some), it manages to combine poise with brute force to create an intense and engrossing soundscape. An excellent debut from a very promising young band.
