To paraphrase an insight from Spin a few years ago (before they were sucking the band off), Incubus were notable if only because they'd managed to make the turntables just another bland member amongst the traditional rock-and-roll trio of bass, guitar and drums. Deracinated, the needle became simply a tool for decoration. Considering the title of the first track, "Roll the Dice Man, Baby Needs a New Ellipsis," I was a little wary of the dull scratching that begins the new album from The Roots of Orchis. Thankfully, the piece develops into a smooth post-rocking instrumental with a dusty groove that never imagines itself any more pimped out than it is. Other instruments humbly rise: a supple bassline to add some swing, synthesizers to make it all swirl, and the scratching's never too pervasive.
Of course, they could have called themselves The Roots of Tortoise. Not to overuse the Chicago scenesters as post-rock's only touch-point, but Some Things Plural specifically brings to mind Tortoise's self-titled debut on Thrill Jockey. By contrast, this is the Roots' third album, and they've updated their organic, jazzy-soft sound with a lot of feedback drones, layered keyboards, and other electronic processing. The aforementioned song actually reminds me more of the swerving rhythms on Scott Herren's Savath + Savalas project. But the way that the bass guitar always prods insistently forward (yet remains the backbone of these forty-five minutes) recalls Dave Pajo's short time with the Tortoiseheads.
The Roots of Orchis have grown to the point where they're very careful about songwriting. There are few central melodies per se-- more a selection of motifs that they create through changes in rhythm. Each song clearly began as a jam, but the final versions are all trimmed for eloquence: no filler. A subtle whiff of cymbals and synth begins "39 Years, 4 Months Ago Today," and the guitar emits a barely-audible scrim of sound in the background, like a hi-fi version of Cul de Sac's noodling. The Roots play with much more restraint than those post-surfers, though: soon the elements lock together and the pace steadily increases then calms down again, where other literalists would have launched the expected rawk-out.
Most of the time the emphasis is on chilldom, as with "Halfway to a Handshake," which could serve as the soundtrack to any number of dingy lounge nights. There's really not much to distinguish these guys from their brethren, though. By the time "Log Jammin" rolls by, you're waiting for a bit more than rapid-fire hi-hats from a drum machine to stir the mix. The later tracks all start to sound the same. If the band really wants to stand out, they need to write more songs like "The Calm Within the Storm," where the gentle ring of a xylophone belies the tension whipped up later by guest Josh Quan's bass clarinet. Yet even this track barely reaches a roil. Still, The Roots of Orchis have been getting a good amount of airtime on college radio, and there's no doubt Some Things Plural would be great accompaniment for a late-night session around the bong.
