Here at Pitchfork, we occasionally like to give some of our records the chance to age a bit before offering our humble (?) opinions on a product. Sometimes, blinded by the bad cocaine and lulled by the soft caresses of the young playthings record companies keep on sending over, we tend to judge music by its first listen and not by its potential staying power.
The sad sack of shit reviewer who had the opportunity to review the last Euphone record, the Breaking Parole EP suffered from that same moldy dick- cheese way of thinking. He enthusiastically praised the band for its brand of ultra- grooved out instrumental noodling without thinking too hard about how permanent his fondness would be. He liked the tricky drumming, the modular bleeping, the smooth, buttery basslines, and thought that would always be the case.
Having heard all of Euphone's recorded output, I can see where he was coming from. It's all very accomplished, somewhat soulful stuff, and the band's latest work, The Calendar of Unlucky Days fits in with the previous work. Throughout its career, the band has always been one of the better sub- Tortoise acts, aided by a certain panache for its playing. The newest offering sees it taking a more subdued, studio- centric approach, using tape loops and treated drums to accent the carefully thought- out melodies. In other words, fans of old Euphone will like this.
Myself, I'm not thrilled about all this. This is not to say that The Calendar of Unlucky Days, or indeed any of Euphone's other product is bad. I might put this on at one of my slinky booty parties and be lauded for my choice in background music. Songs like the Stereolab- ish "Wickedness" and the down- tempo funk ditty "Needle and Crate" are catchy indeed, but not terribly memorable. At worst, Euphone takes a slight bassline and plays all the piss ou of it, as with the record's closer, "Playboy." One can only do so many organ solos or fancy drum breaks over a melody that seems to go nowhere.
