Diebold’s once-in-a-blue moon performances have been considered hedonistically magical by those lucky enough to engage over the last six years. Unfortunately, they were limited to basically whenever Thee Silver Mt. Zion wasn’t doing anything or if the workload over at Constellation lulled for a moment. I always seemed to just miss them myself; it was almost like trying to watch a mosquito fly around so it wouldn’t bite you, but the moment you turn away, ouch.
The band consists of violinist Sophie Trudeau and guitarist Ian Ilavsky both primitively and, if may I say, righteously, banging on drums and wrecking a bass. They formed this powerful yet relatively simple project as roomates in 2002, however Listen To My Heartbeast is Diebold’s first proper release. Recorded live with no overdubs at their rehearsal space, this album supports a very raw and untampered feeling. In my opinion, this non-studio sound serves to turn Heartbeast into some kind of document, capturing their essence in a performative setting, rather than a well-planned piece of art.
It is a nice little document however. And this is a band worth documenting, considering how infrequently they’ve played. Some moments scattered throughout these six compositions stand out, but overall, its no Lightning Bolt. Something’s lacking here. They call this style “riff-based”, but really, what good is a riff without some kind of accompaniment? One thing’s for sure though, I’m about three steps closer to my first hearing aid after reviewing this one.
