Mouth of the Architect – The Ties That Blind
Translation Loss Records – TL16-2 – August 22nd, 2006
By Jason Jordan
The Ties That Blind isn’t a far departure from
Time & Withering (2004) or
Split (2006), for Ohio’s
Mouth of the Architect, though I doubt anyone on this planet thought it would be. In the two years since their fine debut album dropped via Translation Loss, the band lost two members and the tight-knit trio of Lahm (guitars, vocals), Mann (drums, ex-
Rune), and Watkins (keyboards, vocals) were forced to carry on. Thankfully, especially since they had already written half of another album when they recorded
Time & Withering,
MotA recruited Cook (
These Arms Are Snakes, ex-
Botch) for bass duty and tapped Hinds (
Mastodon) for a guest vocal performance.
Now, the verdict regarding the quality of
The Ties That Blind is rather predictable – it’s a very good album that doesn’t disappoint. However, while eager aficionados know what to expect from
Mouth of the Architect (lengthy, sweeping arrangements that move emotionally yet build up and meander unapologetically), I wish they would’ve experimented more often, or forged ahead in some unique way. Instead, contrary to what their latest bio proclaims, their sophomore effort again feels like an understudy to records put out by monumental acts such as
Neurosis and
Isis, which doesn’t diminish the group’s efforts tremendously simply because there’s a lot to enjoy.
The latter section of “Baobab” and the emotive tail-end of the 16-minute “No One Wished to Settle Here” are stunning, and the keys play a major role in drawing out human sentiments during the whole of
The Ties That Blind. One can imagine a person in deep contemplation during the course of “Carry On” before the tempo is jolted and the distortion kicks in, caking “Carry On” with virtual sludge. The first couple minutes of “Harboring an Apparition” could double as a passage by Louisville-based, instrumental post-rockers
The Photographic, whereas “At Arms Length” features Hinds’s (
Mastodon) vocal lines riding the waves generated by the powerful Ohioan quartet. Though it’s the title of the closing number, the phrase “Wake Me When It’s Over” should not escape from your lips when
Mouth of the Architect are involved, even in the slightest, because their music is too well-done to warrant anything but admiration.
Still, I’m inclined to believe that the reason I was so enthralled with
Time & Withering was its relative freshness, although they weren’t the first band on the block to play this particular style. This year’s
Split with fellow, former
Rune dwellers
Kenoma fared well, and
The Ties That Blind is no different. It won’t upend some as their debut did, nor will it impress those who haven’t liked them up to this point, but it is another worthwhile recording from a band I hope will stick around for a while – whether they experiment heavily or not. Each entry in their discography is worth purchasing, and
The Galilean Satellites by labelmates
Rosetta should be given consideration, too.
8/10
UM’s Review Rating Scale
Official Translation Loss Records Website
