The Tundra Survey
Cracked Radiator, Bum Transmission
Self-Released
File Under: Intricate, orchestrated pretty rock
RIYL: Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Cerberus Shoal, Midsummer
The Tundra Survey is another band out of Chicago doing the dreamy, atmospheric rock kind of thing with a focus on making
It’s that odd mixture of more orchestra-related instruments that makes Cracked Radiator, Bum Transmission such a pleasant listen. The
“Delta” starts off, and you get a very soft introduction to this band, with xylophone providing a chimey accompaniment to the viola and cello mostly, until it begins to pick up the pace and intensity, the guitar just another orchestral instrument here, the vocals, when they come in, very light and sparse. While this song plays a steady progression, rising and falling, “Flooded Hours” doesn’t go far, instead just the soft plucking of strings and soft accompaniment, making more of an interlude or long introduction to “Leaning Over Fault Lines,” which also doesn’t have vocals but has varying degrees of intensity through the more striking guitarwork. The lengthy “Falling Still” has some absolutely gorgeous strings behind the guitars, and vocals are used, albeit so quietly it’s hard to tell if you’re hearing them at all. It’s contrasted by the short and more discordant “In Case the Weather Turns,” and “Anti-Ballistic Missile Defense System” gets more intense with louder strings and moments of blaring guitar to liven things up. Finally, vocals come back on the closer, “Handset Sirens,” very light and airy behind softly plunked guitar, although this track is one of the most low-key on the album.
TW Walsh did the mastering here, the second release I’ve reviewed in as many weeks that had his hands on it, and both have been impressively tight and precise. The Tundra Survey mostly play quiet music with absolutely no emphasis on vocals. It’s experimental to some degree, with guitar being just another string instrument here, used as the viola and cello are, and the songs are