If These Trees Could Talk by If These Trees Could Talk

by Chris Parker

Cleveland Scene Magazine

Like the Six Parts Seven, another area group known for its rock soundscapes, Akron's If These Trees Could Talk proves in its self-titled six-song debut that you don't need vocals to ooze emotion. In fact, lyrics would only get in the way of the Trees' dense, flowing sound. This album emotes like Explosions in the Sky, rocks like Tool, and breaks and builds like Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The crystal-clear production and flawless musical performances make this a local instrumental album that stands high above the mire.

by Joe Minadeo

Cleveland Scene Magazine

The mutterings of superflora isn't a subject oft-explored by instrumental bands, but If These Trees Could Talk, out of the forested Akron, Ohio, have added ritalin, steroids and Red Bull to the seedlings of some conifers, and laughed maniacally as their monster grew into a guitar-playing psychotic genius. This release shows how instrumental guitar rock need not be a dirge, but an exciting, groovy, and occasionally softening affair.

If These Trees Could Talk takes a fairly continuous sequence, a 6 part song if anything, with each section bookended by washes of ambience. This structure is one of the better choices on this album, and considering the magnificence of the music itself, this is saying something. Every element on this album is enhanced by the force that drives right from the release's beginning, to its conclusion. If there was an issue, it would be that the release stops quite abruptly, without stopping the momentum behind the final musical idea. The feeling that is gathered from this, could best be expressed as "GIVE ME A FULL ALBUM". And when ITTCT delivers this, oh boy, they're going to put wide smiles on many faces.

If These Trees Could Talk have an astonishing handle on how to go about presenting instrumental music correctly, with a sense of a voice in instrumental lines, tasteful use of distortion and technically proficient playing. Repetition and delay on this release is used far more effectively than the vast majority of instrumental bands. It would be conceivable to call them a math rock band with soul and or a post-rock band with an ability to play musical instruments properly. Contrasts between distortion and clean sounds are exploited throughout the piece, particularly in "Signal Hill," and this adds to the frenetic dynamic of the band. Three guitar lines sweep through and around each other supported by the outrageous grooves of the rhythm section. It is traditional post-rock dynamics, taking after Slint's Spiderland, but sped up, and given a Don Caballero-esque dosage of repeatrepeatrepeat. The end result of this rock minimalism feast, unsurprisingly, is highly arousing.

Another asset of If These Trees Could Talk is their ability to pull off musical ideas with a succinctness that is so lacking in many other instrumental acts. The band works at a pace which leaves Sparrows Swarm and Sing and other such acts flailing their stringed instruments in the dust. Quite simply, the music is breathtaking, near-flawless and tight. You can tell this band hasn't had many babies. They've got it ALL, packed into a neat, bite size package. Just slam the physical equivalent to their music on a centrefold spread and they'll make millions. You just wait until their supertree grows to its full potential.

by Marcus Whale

The Silent Ballet

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