14 Universal Truths And Cycles 

 


Introduction

After the unsteady dip of Do The Collapse, Isolation Drills felt like a breath of fresh air. Would Universal Truths And Cycles continue the upward trajectory? Well, on my listening journey so far (everything up to English Little League) it was an album that had come across as solidly strong, if perhaps a little lacking in breath-taking highlights. So I was interested to see if a detailed perusal would elevate it beyond that...

The Album

Gumming the fun tunnel

Album opener 'Wire Greyhounds' sees me revisiting the 'hits the ground running' cliché, as it's an admirable burst of concise, focused, melodic energy. There's an echo of the mid-90s in its brutally truncated brevity, but we're still in crisp, punchy production territory. Lyrically, it has an amusingly self-reverential air, the enigmatic 'Breath woman captures a ghost / blurring sweat heads eat noodlestuff' being followed by an instruction to 'sit up and beg for slivers of language... pin back your ears and feed.'

Hi-fi production values do not, of course, have to result in blandness. 'Eureka Signs' - the album's best moment - is a giddy blur of crashing chords and urgent arpeggios where the clarity of the production gives it a driving, relentless focus. 'Storm Vibrations' is cut from a similar cloth, although a little more considered and delicate; as is the lovingly hesitant 'Pretty Bombs', which marries a stompingly poppy riff with with fragile swirls of strings.

Another particular highlight is 'Father Sgt. Christmas Card'. The closest the album comes to the lo-fi approach of the mid-90s albums, it has a refreshingly ragged urgency. I've no idea what 'gumming the fun tunnel' might mean, but I suspect I'm better off not knowing.


Eager to please

There are some relatively straightforward poppy moments that hit the spot pretty well. 'Cheyenne' is perhaps a little too eager to please, but you can't deny its insanely catchy hook; the same is true of the forcefully staccato 'Back To The Lake'. There's a little more depth and atmosphere to 'Christian Animation Torch Carriers', but it's also blessed with a big, uplifting stadium-friendly chorus, plus some nicely measured rock guitar soloing.


Death rituals

The album is at its weakest in the quieter, downtempo moments. 'The Weeping Bogeyman' has a certain plaintive charm, and contains some interesting imagery related to (I think) death rituals - but meanders rather aimlessly. 'Factory Of Raw Essentials' also features some intriguing wordplay ('palefoot frontrunners for disease control') but has he feel of an early 90s REM b-side; this is also true of the jaunty but lightweight 'Zap' and 'The Ids Are Alright'. 

Wild joy of traffic

Most of the remaining tracks are all have a harder edge. 'Everywhere With Helicopter' has a chunky garage rock riff that sweeps you along with its exuberance. 'Love 1' throws in a spot of Sonic Youth style dissonance and brims with snotty defiance. There's a dreamy, psychedelic dizziness to the ominous 'From A Voice Plantation'. After a gently bluesy opening, 'Skin Parade' evolves into a snaking, malevolent stomp. 'Car Language' revisits the driving theme previously seen in 'Motor Away' and 'Quality Of Armor' ('Wild joy of traffic and flashing metal interaction'), but packages it within a wall of feedback-drenched noise.

Although it's slightly softer in tone, there's a driving relentlessness to 'Wings Of Thorn', another with echoes of REM. Title track 'Universal Truths And Cycles' has a warm, late 60s/early 70s psychedelic vibe, vaguely reminiscent of Kevin Ayers.  



In Conclusion...

It's an album that's very easy to like, but I never quite fell in love with it. It's the equivalent of one of those friends on the fringes of your social circle that you're always happy enough to see but wouldn't ever make a point of seeking out. It obviously doesn't have the exhilaratingly ragged charm of something like Alien Lanes, but neither does it have the consistent strength of, say, Under The Bushes. It is, as I suggested in the introduction, solid - of decent quality, with a few particularly memorable moments. Firmly mid-table.


Added to the 'GBV Favourites' playlist: 

Just over half of the tracks made it...
  • Wire Greyhounds
  • Christian Animation Torch Carriers
  • Cheyenne
  • Back To The Lake
  • Love 1
  • Storm Vibrations
  • Everywhere With Helicopter
  • Pretty Bombs
  • Eureka Signs
  • Father Sgt. Christmas Card

Album rank:





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