Western Civ

Western Civ are an Indie band - and I think we're talking about deep Indie. They make music that is intriguing. So, that means the only band to compare tehm with is Sebadoh, even though I hate such comparisons. The thing is you get such carefully thought out and crafted songs dealing with real emotion and a cathartic approach to music that it reaches you.

They start off with Got The # and Of Her Many Splendours and what you get is guitar-driven Indie rock lyrically and musically offbeat. Stingray Blanket is carefully constructed and langorously weaves its way into your Psyche. Try reading Kafka and stop abruptly at the end of one of his long, intricate sentences - that feeling, that atmosphere, that emotional uncertainty is what Western Civ manage to reproduce in another medium.

There's No I In Team (but there is a Me) and Engine #3 is like the Civ gone mainstream but suddenly there is no mainstream anymore. Even so the end of Engine #3 will leave you wondering what the hell is going on. Sunday Punch finishes off and is like the child of early Soft Machine track with a distorted guitar.

The reason why it has taken me so long to review this EP is that it needs to be listened to and enjoyed rather than analysed. It could make a slacker of you too, just put it on and enjoy the nuances, the apparent simplicity, and the intricacy of atmospheres weaved in your head.