Back in the early 90s, there were a few post-punk bands that experimented with long, meanering songs and massive dynamic shifts. Engine Kid comes to mind, though early Mineral prolly fits the bill as well. And that's exactly where awakebutstillinbed lies. These are more concepts than songs, or perhaps simply raw emotions barely wrangled into sonic form.

awakebutstillinbed chaos takes the wheel and i am a passenger (self-released)

Form is also loosely defined. Slint is another obvious influence, though there's less noise here. At times, this sounds like something that might have gotten heavy play on "120 Minutes." And then everything falls into full deconstruction and rumination. It's clear that this superficially unfocused effort has been meticulously written and played. This band sounds exactly the way it wants to sound.

If you want savor a 90-style emo anthem, drop the needle directly on "far", which is short and stunning. Most of the rest of the album goes on a wild journey, something that is refreshed by the occasional pit stop at traditional song construction.

It could be argued that all of the excess and meandering is simply an attempt to make an album that sounds important (a common complaint about Spiderland, of course). Okay. I can accept that. The thing is, awakebutstillinbed succeeds. This is an important album whose songs manage to become more than the sum of their parts. Yes, this is something of a throwback. A throwback to bands who actually try to create greatness and succeed. Heart-stopping stuff.

Jon Worley