Ink - Reagent Specs
(Monitor)
The beautiful off-white, screen printed cover of Reagent Specs exclaims, "written and recorded simultaneously at ACR, Baltimore." So yeah, how could you not expect an element of spontaneity from INK? The band comprised of ex-Candy Machine and Science Kit people hint at improvising, but seem more concerned with creating moods with quite an array of instrumentation.
Six people in the fold for eleven tracks, INK's arsenal includes some odd percussion sounds, saxophone, clarinets, as well the traditional guitar + bass + drums setting. Do not think the sound becomes a stuck up dinner with a carafe of uptown wine affair, these guys know how to ride the nights.
Track two, "Stereo Eyes," drops some interesting vocal tricks, and singer Peter Quinn is rather tricky and stream of conscious when it comes to that department. The guitars jangle and bob while chiming drums on an offbeat steady the song.
Attention must be paid rhythmically. The bass lines are close to the purest of dub through the majority of the record, while drummer Lyle Kissack gets intricate while mastering class and taste. Guitarist Craig Bowen is all over the map. At times, treating the instrument like a post-punk war with noise and frequency flying all over the place. While in other songs, he makes profound statements in minimalism.
It's hard not to think of some of Baltimore and DC luminaries when it comes to the comparison—especially Moss Icon, Warmers, and Lungfish with vocals telling a passionate yet mysterious story with a musical backdrop saturating the space. This Heat and early Pere Ubu are also good name-dropping points when it comes to extracting a sound and turning it sideways, anxious and timeless.
As the record plays on you will get the feeling that INK is not just after capturing a moment, but turning those moments into something forever tangible. Charm City hasn't sounded this good in a long time.
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