On the cover of Beat Romantic, the sophomore release from Portland, Ore.'s Talkdemonic, we see a path strewn with branches and grasses winding toward the horizon through a thick stand of birches. It's a gorgeously idyllic scene: the trees' slender white trunks, the canopy of green. But there's something decidedly unnatural about the image. The hall-of-mirrors symmetry smacks of digital manipulation, of a version of nature enhanced by technology.
The same can be said of Talkdemonic's instrumental post-rock, which lays a bevy of acoustic elements over a foundation of pulsing programmed beats and modulating, soft-focus synthesizers. The duo acquiesces to this tension, cheekily dubbing their music "folktronic hop," a hybrid genre that seems to have its roots in records like Bjork's Homogenic. But, without a doubt, it's the players, not the preset laptop tracks, who lend Talkdemonic's music its emotional heft. Kevin O'Connor plays banjo, guitar, piano, and Wurlitzer on the recording, but it's his highly expressive drumming that is most memorable. When the punctuated rhythm of programmed percussion gives way to cascading cymbal crashes and spacious break beats, it's nothing short of cathartic. And viola-player Lisa Molinaro's performances ooze with feeling, as beautiful swells of strings render the need for vocals understandably dispensable.
The songs on Beat Romantic are dense sonic architectures, adding layer upon layer of melody and counter-melody as they grow. On album opener "Veraison", a truncated viola loop repeats for the song's duration, as Molinaro blankets it in a palimpsest of overdubs, her legato bowing countering the clipped repetition of the sample. "Dusty Flourescent/Wooden Shelves" begins with a misleading sense of restraint, all plucked banjo strings and roomy snare strikes. But 15 seconds in, O'Connor absolutely thrashes his kit as a descending bass line and ascending synth riff expand the background. Beat Romantic's highlight, though, is the one-two punch of "Bering" and "Human Till Born". Teeming with soaring harmonies, "Bering" features Molinaro's most affecting playing. As she abusively rakes the strings of her viola at the end of the song, the track segues into a feast of pummeling drums that would make DJ Shadow proud.
While Talkdemonic's streamlined compositions avoid the trappings of more self-indulgent instrumental acts, at times, they could use a little more room to breathe. Many songs don't make it past two minutes, which results in the album unfolding like a single piece of nearly continuous music. Such unity is a credit to their sense of vision, even if it suppresses some of their best melodies in a kind of sameness. But, also like the cover's birch grove, Beat Romantic's allure isn't in isolated beauty, but the juxtaposition of so much of it.
