I should start by saying that I was disappointed by Minus Story's debut, The Captain Is Dead, Let the Drum Corpse Dance. Elephant 6 comparisons, especially those to Circulatory System, are more than enough to pique my interest, and it sounded like this was the kind of thing I had been waiting for. Come on, the cover had festive banners, muted pastels, and an imaginary brass horn coming out of a marching drum! But it didn't deliver the way I had expected it to. To my ears, it was at worst a directionless, strident mess, full of repetitive three-minute songs that felt more like repetitive five-minute songs. At best it was an undeniably fervent announcement that suggested a great deal of potential and sometimes flirted with worthwhile innovation. I chose to be an optimist, focusing on the dizzying, hypnotic effect of their songs, their crooked melodies, and their admittedly cliché but positively winning lo-fi arsenal, reminding myself that they have plenty of time to make my dream of loving Minus Story a reality.
Heaven and Hell brings them within inches of that goal, but not without betraying themselves a little bit. Although rekindled fantasies of "The Next Neutral Milk Hotel" occupied some listeners and Jagjaguwar's press releases, Minus Story were obviously attempting to forge some kind of new territory with their debut, a territory no more clear to them than it was to us. So for the people like me who were investing hope in that front, the borderline alt-country opener "Heaven and Hell" comes as a mixed blessing. Sure, I like it, maybe better than anything off of The Captain Is Dead, but I shouldn't have to come to Minus Story for songs like this. It's an example of the more sober, personal approach taken on this EP, with songs that are immediately more familiar and grounded but largely lacking the band's signature, though still wet with ink.
It's no secret that Heaven and Hell isn't intended to demonstrate progress, as Minus Story do for The Misfits what TV on the Radio did for The Pixies with their worthy reinterpretation of "Hybrid Moments" and by telling a ghost story for the final, untitled track (these tracks being, actually, two of the most memorable). "Time Wastes Itself" and "Suffer by Yourself" are more characteristic of the group and mark a comfortable balance between this new, reserved posture and their established billowing, windswept energy. But head and shoulders above the rest of this EP stands the haunting "Misery Is a Ship," with its doleful trumpet staggering in 3/4 time with the heavy, abusive beating of guitar and drum.
The beauty of an EP is that it is only as significant as you, the listener, want it to be. With Heaven and Hell, Minus Story prove that they are capable of stunning, more traditional songs, so that at the very least we will remember them for this and, at the same time, leave us with the prospect of a more fully realized synergy of their talent and ambition in the future.
1. Heaven and Hell
2. Time Wastes Itself
3. Suffer by Yourself
4. Misery Is a Ship
5. Hybrid Moments
6. Untitled
More about: Minus Story
