Sunday, November 27, 2011

It's A Miracle Condition


Miracle Condition is a power trio featuring US Maple guitarist Mark Shippy and drummer Pat Samson along with Dr. Matt Carson on guitar and vocals. Formed about four years ago, the band quickly solidified itself and evolved from being an offshoot of US Maple to it's own sentient musical entity. Taking the opposite approach to making music than that of US Maple, the band have sought to construct massive soundscapes as opposed to shattering down the walls by deconstructing indie rock. Creating massively layered and textural songs, the band have taken math rock from the classroom and launched it into space docking with their debut album, Miracle Condition, somewhere just beyond the moon.

Bombastic at times and incredibly fragile at others, Miracle Condition, is a study of contrasts that come off as some sort of post rock post shoegazing epic that's at war with itself. In listening to Miracle Condition you get the sense that this trio wants to severely push what they're capable of as a band and write challenging songs that are not only melodic but technically outstanding as well. Jazzy at times and absolutely pulverizingly heavy at others, Miracle Condition to a fantastic job of keeping themselves and the listener guessing where they are headed next. Riffs bounce off one another and ricochet all over the place leaving a chaotic sense of what these guys are capable of with just three members. It's crazy stuff that will leave your head spinning as songs lead from a jazzy workout into a series of power chords that are all consuming and then into some sort of textural ambient soundscape all the while shaping it in the form of something musically understandable. It's a record that's literally all over the map and that's probably it's greatest strength. Miracle Condition are truly unpredictable and powerful and while much of Miracle Condition is far from catchy it's an impressive display of musical muscle and prowess.

Math rock with a twist, Miracle Condition is the sound of a sonic struggle between two opposing forces constantly battling for control and neither side winning. The band's technically challenging state of mind allows and ability to balance their two separate worlds allow them to develop songs that sound as large as the universe itself. Mint Condition have created a colossal work here that's dissonant, coarse, and hazy. While that might sound like something that's too difficult to listen to, it's not. In fact, much of Miracle Condition is the sort of record that will drive musicians crazy and leave tuned in listeners in stunned silence.

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