Album Review: Warehouse - super low
By Tanner Bidish, Contributor
[Bayonet; 2016]
Rating: 6.5/10
Key Tracks: “Arbitrarium V,” “Super Low,” “Audrey Horne”
super low marks the sophomore release of Warehouse. The Atlanta-based indie-rockers made their debut last year with Tesseract, which gave them some traction and appeal. Most quintessential to their sound is vocalist Elaine Edenfield’s range and style. She is capable switching from low and harsh growls to melodic lulling. Edenfield shines on the record as the primary highlight, but the instrumentation backing her isn’t as gripping. Despite tight structure and production, most tracks falter in distinguishing themselves and the album loses its charm from that.
The record starts with “Oscillator," An upbeat guitar lines draws in the listen and Edenfield’s unique vocals keep the ball rolling; it works, it’s a fun start. “Exit Only,” however, relays on the same elements for its structure; bright guitar lines while the vocals show off and carry the track. It’s not bad, but it does get old. Things pick up with “Arbitrarium V.” Interplay of bass and guitar are woven seamlessly. This is coupled with the vocals dipping deeper in and out smooth and harsh ranges, making crafty use of each.
The title track follows it up with melancholy lyrics over another tight guitar bass weaving. “The razor blade that took your life / It takes mine, it takes time,” Edenfield articulates as only she could with her juxtaposing vocal comfort zones. “Audrey Horne” rounds out the gauntlet of jams in the middle of the album that dominate the experience. It comes across as the most instrumentally balanced number, and goes down incredibly smooth.
The rest of the album is likewise smooth, but not in a stand out way. “Long Exposure” features the slowest tempo of the entire album for a likable change of pace towards the end. An unexpected bridge in “Modifier Analog” is the biggest surprise of the record. Things get funkier here with a faded ambience to the sound. Finally, “Garden Wall” closes it out with a tune that is derivative of the previous nine tracks. It’s short and sweet but doesn’t offer anything new at the end.
super low suffers ultimately from the same problem as its last track. The guitar lines that carry melody outside of the vocals sound too alike throughout the album. While they’re tightly formed, they get repetitive and lose the listener's interest. The titular tracks found at the center are fun listens, but are surrounded by weaker tunes. Warehouse keeps it going, but could have benefited from more risk taking on their latest release.
