Fire Talk is calling this Alphabets’ “debut.” Sure. I guess if Colin Ward’s gonna make anything “officially official,” in terms of it being a debut for his solo project, it’d better be this new On Champagne and Greyhounds tape. For as wild and outrageous as this kid’s known to get (especially at one of his shows), here he’s actually showing a little maturity. But don’t tell him I wrote that. Maybe landing a label release calmed him down a little — just listen to the control. Such subtle dynamic interplay among the rhythms, every texture constantly playing a role in this very complex network of balances. I guess the result does feel a bit like Ward playing tribal congas on your eardrums, yet those volumes are all so exactly, exactly exact and organized, they make this march the heaving stomp it is, not just another impatient pile of blips. There can only be so many next levels, right? Even if this is Ward leveling out, it’s still crazy as hell, nothing else quite like it.
• Alphabets: http://alphabets.bandcamp.com
• Fire Talk: http://www.firetalkrecs.com
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