After drowning in a sea of mediocre bands who fail to do anything new or interesting whatsoever, it would seem that bands are maybe getting sick of my droning. Because finally we have some bands sending us CDs that are pushing the envelope. And while it may not always work, these bands are at least reaffirming my faith that there are acts out there who aren’t content with being the same as someone else. Paulson, yet another amazing New Jersey band, take bits of Cave In yet make their sound their own. Throw in synth, some incredible drumming and a whole load of atmospherics and you have a genuinely interesting band.
True, ‘Variations’ isn’t quite the real deal, but tracks like ‘A Great Pretending’ are absolutely fantastic. The drumming especially sticks out a mile. Paulson reference Radiohead and Squarepusher throughout – vocally they’re insanely inventive, pushing how far their voices can go. And while the album has a lack of killer, catchy choruses, the band seem intent on throwing sonic experiments the way of the listener throughout. Sometimes it shouldn’t fit or it shouldn’t work, but it does. ‘My Funny Valentine’ and ‘Nightfall’ are definitely worth checking out, if nothing else.
www.myspace.com/paulson
One Day Savior
Paul