Consonant - Love and Affliction
(Fenway)
Last year, Clint Conley, bassist of Mission of Burma, came out of a near 20 year retirement to play some reunion dates and form a new band, Consonant, with Chris Brokaw and Matt Kadane. Burma fans likely approached Consonant's debut with trepidation, fearing it would sully the image of the artist that means so much to them. It was a pleasant surprise, then, that the album was so powerful: a straight-forward rock album drawing out the Kinks influence from Burma's sound and giving the songs resonance with their emotionally raw lyrics. The question, then, is where do Conley and Consonant go from there?
While Conley's handful of Mission of Burma reunion dates turn into more of an actual continuation of the band, Consonant also feels more and more like a band. While the group's debut was at times loud and harsh, the followup, Love and Affliction, is more restrained. Amps still buzz, and drums still crash, but there is a delicacy that gives a strong indication that Brokaw and Kadane had more of a hand in the arrangements. Thus, while the debut gave off the feel as a mouthpiece for Conley, Love and Affliction is equally a continuation of Come, Bedhead, and The New Year.
While more cooks certainly don't spoil the broth, the album isn't quite as perfect as the band's amazing debut. Covering the emotion of breaking up, Consonant feels like the last fight that ends the relationship: spiteful, bitter, and very raw. Love and Affliction feels like coming back two weeks later to get your furniture. There's still resentment and feeling, but underneath a civil and genteel facade. By sounding more delicate and restrained (i.e., sounding more like The New Year), this move away from raw feeling is not only felt lyrically but also musically. While the first album was so direct, now, in a sense, one must succumb to the emotion of the music.
While the emotion of Love and Affliction does not resonate as much as its predecessor, it is still an intensely enjoyable guitar record and better than most current rock out there, as it is varied, rich, and dense. Album closer "Blue Story" lurches forward with discordant guitar shards and electronics clashing and crashing around, creating a brooding jumberjack of a song. In contrast, "Mysteries of the Holiday Camp" is hyper and catchy near-emo pop with a very fluid guitar line and Conley's struggled falsetto. Add to that songs like the twangy romantic song "Night for Love" and the stadium rock guitar of chugging album leadoff "Little Murders," and you've still got a really great, diverse rock album.
Love and Affliction hardly qualifies as a letdown. While it was hard to believe Conley could so quickly return to form, why would you doubt he could continue to produce interesting music, especially with such talented musicians around him?
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