Cassette Review: ender belongs to me-Memory EP

With Memory, ender belongs to me's first step into the physical world, a clearer picture of how the same band that produces a song like the upbeat "All Working" can make the slow burning sprawl of "New Light" as well. What Memory reveals, in its short 15 minute form, is that ender belongs to me takes as much from advent music and sound colleges as they do from drugged out dance beats and synth infused indie pop.

The fact that the EP opens with "Kick/Scream" should have been the first hint of the true form of ender belongs to me. On it's own the song is a mixture of sludgey vocals mixed with striking synth lines and drum work to pick up the song just when it needs it. However, in term of the tape itself, it sets the stage of the band using more abstract elements of electronica and beats in their song. "You, Sir" seems like a perfect extension of "Kick/Scream", but instead of following the poppier parts that half of "Kick/Scream" had, "You, Sir" extends the quieter part to it's logical end point, as airy beats and what sounds like a warped version of the intro to "15 Steps" propel the abstract and French (?) vocals forward. "Animate" is the most abstract track on the cassette, a layering of industrial, choppy sounding beats over found vocals  before adding a juxtaposing piano line to control the discord contained within the song.

The tape starts to solidify again with "All Working", which is still one of my favorite ender belongs to me songs. In reality it isn't all that different from the bands more abstract material, a simple beat coupled with piano and added electronics. However, it just comes together so wonderfully here, especially when the female vocals kick in (as childish as they me be), as is the fact that this is a song where the band's lyrical work really shines, something that the band until now seemed to under appreciate. The final track "Teddymuffin" is similar to "Animate" in terms of sometimes sounding more of a sound college before morphing into the song it actually is. But it is a splendid track, gooey in all the right way, a mixture of sparkling piano lines and clickity beats. In turn the track helps to sort of define the band, not only in sound but in their ability to pull subtle hooks and structure from very lucid places.

Links:

ender belongs to me's Website
Buy Memory EP here, from Crash Symbols