Tell Lungfish fans that former frontman Daniel Higgs has made a new record with a rock band, and their first question will be, "Does it sound like Lungfish?" So, for those easily distracted by dreams of that group's reemergence, let's get this out of the way-- Peer Amid doesn't sound a whole lot like Lungfish. But it does sound like Skull Defekts. The Swedish group has quietly hammered out noisy rock and sharp post-punk since 2005. Playing for the first time with Higgs-- who's spent the last seven years on spoken word, jew's harp improvisations, and other unclassifiables-- they've delivered their strongest work so far. Which means that the best answer to any question about Peer Amid is that it sounds great.
In fact, it probably would've sounded great whether or not Higgs was involved. Even the most wandering and noisy songs crackle with taut energy and hypnotic repetition. But they all rise higher because of the way Higgs sprays his voice around. He's rarely willing to simply settle into the Skull Defekts' impressive grooves. Take "Fragrant Nimbus": Atop a wiry one-chord jam, Higgs flips styles like a character actor, doling out single-word warbles, illegible moans, and blunt directions like a megaphone-toting rally-leader. Higgs can narrow himself just as powerfully-- on closer "Join the True", he flatly intones a simple mantra, playing the calm in the middle of the Skull Defekts' gathering storm.
That storm evokes some powerful post-punk forefathers-- for starters, think of the rhythmic interplay of the Ex and magnetic singer G.W. Sok, or the Fall's tight repetitions in support of Mark E. Smith's rambling. Lofty company, but Skull Defekts have earned it. Perhaps, given that this is such hard-edged music, some tracks may seem over-indulgent. The most abstract piece, a trebly soundscape called "What Knives, What Birds", lasts well beyond six minutes, and the drum séance "In Majestic Drag" goes over eight. But if you're at all inclined toward the Defekts' brand of hypnosis, you might find yourself wishing every song would go on longer. Save your energy for the hope that this perfectly matched collaboration is what ends up lasting.
