Notes the new release by D.C.-based A Day in Black and White is something that you could almost call post-emo. Eschewing the inane lyrics and poppy rhythms of bands like the Postal Service, Notes brings thoughtful and introspective lyrics, weary vocals, and insistent instrumentalism together in a weathered, sonic soiree.
The first track, “Tinnitus” is a psycho-fuzz appetizer of a minute and twenty seconds that drops you quickly into the driving “New Energy.”
Track Four, “Lame Duck” is a sedate riff with an early Cure-like drum track that I can’t stop playing over and over while I work on this review.
Other tracks get more boisterous then “Lame Duck,” though the entire album never falls into clichéd dissonance, like the aftermath of a wrecking ball against an unreinforced masonry structure. Notes maintains an understated sense of dignity which illustrates just how together this band is.
There is a fine balance between the contemplative and the raucous – like a good plate of Pad Thai, the mélange of sweet, sour and savory conspire to create something that you can listen to all the way through to end.
