Alaska!

Rescue Through Tomahawk

[Altitude; 2005]

Styles: rock
Others: Sebadoh, lowercase

My infatuation with Alaska! started with a track they had contributed to a KRS comp about a year back. At least I thought it was a they (and I actually thought the they was a he). The track itself was an acoustic number, strictly acoustic, of which the content hit quite close to home. Deep, very well written, and quite beautiful to the ear, I hadn’t heard such emotive singing for quite some time. I vaguely obsessed over finding an Alaska! album in the following months and, nearly a year later, Rescue Through Tomahawk comes across as somewhat disappointing. High hopes, eh? The depth and emotion are still prevalent throughout the record, but the rock does not fit the vocals and the two seem somewhat awkward together. Kind of like throwing lessons of existentialism on the inside of Joe Blow wrappers. These are meditative lyrics with a rock & roll background, and the two do not fit. Different music for the lyrics or different lyrics for the music and we might have something. The album does have a few moments, however, like the ones on "Krystal Korpse," the beginning of "Real is Your Control," and "The Light," where they allow room for the lyrics and vocals to breath. And, finally, for the album’s closer, we find Imaad Wasif delivering a solo number that shares an affinity and enthusiasm with the KRS track and I realize I shouldn’t have pinned so much expectation on a band I had never really heard.

1. The Fury of Trees
2. Krystal Korpse
3. Real Is Your Control
4. Kiss You
5. Surrender
6. Through the Years
7. Interlude/Lose Yourself
8. C the Shape
9. The Light
10. Stay

by Cockle

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