Brume - Rooster (2017)
When we last heard from Brume, it was a
couple of years ago, when they brought out their debut album, Donkey. The craggy
bass-lines and deep valleys of beats have shifted with their new
album, Rooster, moving to swifter tempos, a more intense general
energy, and a more experimental approach to the song-writing. The
vocals, which were a high point of the first album for me, have also
received some tweaking, with some fun use of multi-tracking allowing
Susie McMullin to sing against herself, swirl about, and slip verses
in on the trailing sustains of their predecessors (check out “Harold”
for some clear examples, or closing track “Tradewind” for some
sharp soulfulness).
Maybe most noticeably, the drums move
about much more, and while I didn't have any complaints about the
action they offered in Donkey, I have to say that Rooster brings a
wider scope to the territory Brume as a full band are able to cover,
performing with high style all the while. At the same time, they've
still got a handle on the psych-infused doom of their first album,
with plenty of satisfaction for that vein streaming through tracks
like “Calling the Serpent's Bluff” and “Tradewind”, and the
savoring of that becomes all the richer for being something they've
decided to hold close in the context of the band's expanded palette.
Using the sophomore album to redefine their sound without losing what
fans latched onto in the first album is an act that relatively few
bands are able to pull off, but Brume have done a more-than-solid job
of just that in Rooster. Fans of doom, go into this without building
too many preconceptions; just do yourself a favor, take some time
when you've got an hour to spare, and check it out in full.
~ Gabriel
For Fans Of; Acid King, Bell Witch,
Blood Farmers, Dorthia Cottrell, Venus Sleeps
~
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