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The Assistant
Self-titled
Alone LP
Singer/vocalist Tom use to flail and scream in the emotionally electric You and I. The comparison to Tom's past association isn't far-off. Listening to The Assistant, you can definitely hear his distinguishable guitar arrangements and frameworks of sound that he contributed to New Jersey's scream machine You and I, but one member isn't capable of resurrecting a bands' complete sound, and where the You and I likeness ends, the new sounds of The Assistant begins.
At the time of recording this self-titled delight, The Assistant contained five members, all sharing in the vocal department (that's right, screams from every angle). Since this release, The Assistant has gone through some lineup changes. When I had the opportunity to see them awhile back, their bassist and second guitarist had left the band, and surprisingly with only three members to pick up the slack (guitarist, keyboardist, drummer), the sound was as thick and harsh as their recordings.
The Assistant's approach, at times, is more potent than You and I (fitful, roaring ruptures of unruly, melodic heaviness and blood-curdling screams), but there's a more calm indie-rock influence that surfaces on a couple tracks, especially with Leigh's charming vocals on "Five Year Old Mentality," "Isabelle Hates Charlie," and the simple acoustic number "Cyclic." Some bizarre electronic experimentation is stitched throughout the record and creates an interesting element that allows for reflection and a break to help reduce your heartbeat back to its normal state (if only for a fragment of time).
As with all of You and I's releases, The Assistant's debut full-length is an abrasive eruption of intense noises controlled by anger, bitterness, and a wish for clearer skies.
by Fake Train
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