I'm not one to cite the post-party morning as an opportune time for musical insight, but there's something to be said for the lack of pretense found in those hardcore attendees still crashed on your couch, whose only certainty about the preceding evening was whether or not the music you played befitted their wanton 'groove-makers.' They're not drunk enough to be taken with a grain of smelling salt, yet not sober enough to allow inhibitions to deter them from stating their honest assessment. So, when I instituted my routine survey amid an early morning clean up last week, I was surprised to learn that:
FC Kahuna should return to their chosen place of exile: my discman (fuck off, that record is choice!)
Fair enough. When your band's comprised of nothing more than two bassists and a drummer, you'd better know how to funk shit up royally, and these guys most certainly do. But beyond that, they just make such great accompaniment to hipster throwdowns. Your indie-antagonist guests want to have good, clean fun, but all within the confines of an emotionally viable environment. So, boy, you'd better reacquaint yourself with the subtle introspection of Dianogah. And get the hell off my couch!
Millions of Brazilians, Dianogah's third proper release, finds the group marrying the more textural work of their aptly titled debut, Old Material, New Format, to a formerly unseen layer of structural sophistication. Nowhere is this better evidenced than on "Flat Panda," a wide-eyed exercise in dynamic that showcases a few clever tremolo effects and the band's innate sense of melody. Elsewhere, as on the brilliant opening cut, "Wrapping the Lamb, Sir," or the thundering "Maria, Which Has Got Her Heart Completely Fucked Up," the band manages to breathe new life into even the most tired post-rock clichés. And that's saying a lot, considering the number of instrumental artists who still believe that a modicum of sonic climax in every song is all that's necessary to create quality music. (In a word: no.)
That said, it's tough to overlook the obvious limitations of a two-bass setup. While Millions of Brazilians is easily the most potent and concentrated effort Dianogah has yet to produce, it still lacks tonal variation. Bringing in production wizard John McEntire to add flourishes of warm, bubbling synthesizer was indeed a wise decision here, and the record is made that much better for his involvement. But even the crispest production or smartest compensatory synth can't squeeze blood from a stone. Dianogah have done what most artists in their situation never could have: escaped 'novelty.' Achieving greatness, however, will prove much tougher.
