For whatever reason, it seems to me that Minus Story has always flown a bit under the radar of the indie rock taste makers. And while bands like Arcade Fire, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and Tapes ‘n’ Tapes have gotten all the attention, Lawrence, Kansas indie rockers Minus Story have delivered what might be the year’s best (and most overlooked) indie rock record.
Before hearing the band’s latest album My Ion Truss, my favorite Minus Story song was their cover of the Misfits “Hybrid Moments” on their Heaven And Hell EP. Little did I know that it would point in the direction of this record. my Ion Truss is beautiful, desperate, and achingly melancholy. To me, the band has always sounded like just a quiet little bedroom group, but on My Ion Truss their lo-fi orchestrations have been smoothed over just a bit. Their sound is (however) still raw and filled with moments of ferocious noisemaking in between the quiet din of rural atmospherics and hook-laden indie rock crescendos. The banging wall of sound that percolates from beneath the delicate and almost Doug Martsch like vocals are in a Built To Spill meets The Bends era Radiohead sort of way. This is a rare album that effectively and movingly channels raw emotions into bittersweet notes and solemn chords.
As stated, My Ion Truss is more produced then the band’s previous material but also retains some of the ragged charms that their earlier home-recorded stuff had. It is a quirky Midwestern indie rock album that references (without rehashing) much of what is great in indie rock these days. My Ion Truss is filled with mini epics and will certainly be included on my best of 2007 list. You can get it now from the always wonderful Jagjaguwar Records.
MP3 | Minus Story – Stitch Me Up My Ion Truss
MP3 | Minus Story – The Way Beyond My Ion Truss
Minus Story are definitely under rated. This is a really beautiful album.
preach it!