Search - Punch Brothers :: Antifogmatic

Simply unbelievable

John Montroy | 06/23/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the third album featuring Punch Brothers in some form another - the first being How to Grow, and the second being Punch - but in my mind, really the first true album from the group. How to Grow was still a bit of a Thile solo effort and had an abundance of covers; if nothing else it showed the group's obscene potential. Punch was an excellent 'official' debut, but that album was divided in half - over forty minutes of the album were taken up by Thile's rather excellent string quintet piece, "The Blind Leaving The Blind", while the last fifteen or so were group compositions. While Punch was a good album, it felt rather fragmented because of the clear subdivision of labor in the group; there were clearly two musical identities of the group. So this album, Antifogmatic, is in my mind their first pure musical statement of what the Punch Brothers can really do. And oh my god...what a statement.



The group presents a much more comfortable sound and picture of themselves on Antifogmatic - naturally so, for this album consists of nothing but group compositions. More traditional listeners might be put off by the album's weirdness at points - the group has no problem fiddling around in layers upon layers of dissonance, or storming through obscene chord changes at a blistering tempo. One might be tempted to label this as pretentiousness, or talent and technical skill gone horribly awry. Not so. To put this album in perspective, the listener has to understand the group itself. First off, the group is young and clearly loves itself. They know they've got something special, and they definitely feed off each other's musicianship in an atmosphere of giggling, goofy musicians coming up with obscene ideas. Second, each member of the group is a complete virtuouso on their respective instrument. They have each spent most of their lives in the music world, and their knowledge of their instruments and their sound is unrivaled. Third, the composing process was apparently a very open-ended ordeal, where each band member would bring in ideas and the group would work with them. This makes so much sense to me. I can just picture the group in the room. No theatrics, pretension, just someone coming in with a crazy idea like, "Dudes check this out! I came up with this messing around last night!" (some ridiculously complicated lick is played) and the rest of the group going, "OH SH- THAT'S AWESOME! Yo alright hold up, let me try something with that...uhmmm..." (some perfectly fitting part is played by another member) "Oh hell yea man, that's awesome! Hey we got something here", and thus the absurdly complex end of Me and Us was born, or something like that. The album just reeks of unbelievable, uninhibited musicianship, perfectly in sync with each other, going crazy with good ideas. So this album strikes me as very natural and very fun, no matter how musically twisted it gets.



The last thing I want to address about this album is that no matter how complicated the songs get, these are ultimately pop songs. Make no mistake. There is clear structure to each song - choruses, verses, bridges, repeated motifs, whatever you want to call it. And the group is clearly trying to compose things that are catchy and sound good, in addition to being technically absurd. Their technicality is just a means to better express their crazy ideas. So one side of that is that (for example) even during the twisted later verses of Woman and the Bell, the group still manages to compose melodies that make you go, "Wow that's wacky! And catchy!" The other side is that you'll get little snatches of craziness during what seems like a straight-forward section, like the weird atonal hits in the verses of Rye Whiskey (one the first time, two the second, three the third...). What this does is keeps everything accessible and catchy, for it's easy to discern song structures, but keeps the listener on his toes for the incredible complexity of the catchiness he or she is listening to. You can just let the album wash over you and enjoy the songs without thinking and sing along to your favorite passages, or you can listen closely to each instrument and how melodic lines weave in and out of each other, the tricky rhythmic phrasing (what the hell Woman and the Bell), or the passing of melodic lines between instruments (Don't Need No). There's a lot to sink your teeth into in this album. Whether you want gorgeous songs and impeccable songwriting, or absurd dissonance and wild melodic ideas, it's all there. But in the end these are pop songs. Just really wacky, off the wall pop songs. A word of warning: when I say the album is catchy and these are pop songs, parts of it are catchy in the way some might find The Rite of Spring catchy (which I do)...which means others may find parts of the album totally hideous. There probably is unfortunately a musician's minimum you have to have to enjoy this album fully, but still, there's plenty of easier passages to enjoy. The group probably listens to more Radiohead and Joanna Newsom than Bill Munroe nowadays, and that should till you plenty about whether you will enjoy this album. Don't mind getting lost in the dissonance and soundscapes, occasionally resurfacing to glorious catchiness? I'd ask the same question about In Rainbows or Kid A, and recommend those albums to people based on the answer just like I would this album.



I'm aware this review may not help readers very much; I've more just elaborated on certain aspects of the group and the album as I see it. So to amend that...if you like Bela Fleck, Igor Stravinsky, Radiohead, or Porcupine Tree and especially Steven Wilson's solo album, get this album. If you like adventurous acoustic music pushing the pop structure to its limit, get this album. If you like supreme musicianship and command of instruments, get this album. Just get this album.



PS: I've never been much of a lyrics dude, but what I've read seems quite self-aware and honest. Sometimes a little surreal, especially coupled with the music. Find another review for that though."

On top of their game

J. Borkholder | South Bend, IN | 06/15/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Punch Brothers have grown from being Chris Thile and friends to a full fledged group. Antifogmatic finds five amazing musicians on top of their games and blending together perfectly. Do yourself a favor and buy this album! While there are undoubtedly some Thile haters out there cuz they want to see him a pickin' and a grinnin', those with an open mind and an appreciation for great music will love this album."

Intoxicating, riveting, impressive...

Sound/Word Enthusiast | Rhode Island, USA | 06/17/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"...it probably does not need to be said, but I'll say it: there is no song-driven ensemble on the planet with the technical prowess, dynamic range, and unbridled adventurous spirit of the Punch Brothers. There is really nothing they can't play, no style they can't knowlingly reference, no time signature too tricky, no structure too convoluted, no volume too soft or too loud. It's all quite staggering, and the idea of finding or creating a music equal to their skills is equally daunting. I mean, you can play anything, so what do you play?



This is their first collectively conceived album -- the prior disk mostly consisted of a suite written and very carefully arranged by mandolinist and bandleader Chris Thile. That five such distinct voices came together to create something this compelling and singular is a grand achievement in and of itself. This is truly kaleidoscopic stuff: throw any old conceptions of verse/chorus/bridge out the window: sections emerge and fade, new music is introduced at surprising coordinates, instrumental roles are transposed and reconfigured at will. Thrilling stuff. Thile is also revealing himself to be a quite engaging vocalist and daring lyricist.



So, sure, it's bluegrass instrumentation, but this is stringband music fashioned from the same maverick, virtuosic spirit that lead Bill Monroe to create it in the first place: a spirit woefully departed from most modern bluegrass, which has instead -- for the most part -- become a bastion of conservative musical stagnation. Not for the faint of heart.



I did reserve the last star, though...paradoxically, I found an entire album of relentless innovation to be just a wee bit exhausting. I was kinda hoping for one or two straight up pop songs amidst the intricate, off-kilter creations, to focus the band's skills and make it all just a bit more relateable, to allow the listener to appreciate the Punch Brothers gifts in a more traditional context. There's no such track(s) on this album, although a few come close...



That said, buy this. These guys deserve to be heard. No one is operating at this level."