Artist: Trilemma
Title: Crowded Wilderness 7”, Push What Is Collapsing LP, Caveat Emptor mini LP
By Conor Duffy
I’ve had this for a few weeks, but I’ve finally found the time to write up this review. The three recordings listed here are a small selection from quite an extensive catalogue from Trilemma, whose Blue Minnow label seems to be a serious contender for the most DIY around. One look at the trilemma.co.uk website shows a feast of on-line ‘zines, essays and a smorgasbord of musical talent. But while this is to be applauded (especially as I finally get to use the word smorgasbord in a review), Trilemma’s musical output, from this evidence, leaves a lot to be desired.
The band has a fondness for keyboards and double-tracked vocals, and I have no problem with that. As musicians they’re more than capable, and it would be unfair to say that any of this is especially bad. But the "Crowded Wilderness" EP gives the impression of a band searching for a sound. They try their hand at a number of different styles over the four tracks. Opener 'Sorrow Passim' could be described as slocore – very downbeat and very very slow. So slow that it just doesn’t feel like an opening track, and it doesn’t bode well for the songs that follow. 'Finite Things' is better, and with more of an emphasis on the organ and guitars, it has an almost folksy feel. The intro to 'Satellite Town' reminded me of Human League, which I didn’t mind, but I hardly felt a great need to call up my friends and tell them all about it. By the time they reach 'March April Dismay,' they’ve managed to merge the different elements to form a mellow yet rather synthetic sound.
Why they then chose to start "Push What Is Collapsing" with a little nugget of indie pop is a mystery. Despite their singer still sounding bored, 'Outcognito' does create an urge in the listener to jump about. Unfortunately it’s only 90 seconds long, and nothing else on the album has anything close to its energy. Most of the songs drifted past me, with nothing to catch my attention. I realised about halfway through that the singer is actually more boring than bored, and he really started to get on my nerves. I’d say he sounds like Elliott Smith at his quietest but I shouldn’t insult the dead. As it stands the best tracks on "Push What Is Collapsing" are the instrumentals such as 'Skeleton Key', which has a wonderfully melancholic piano tinkling away throughout. But that doesn’t make up for the fact that the piece preceding it kept reminding me of Snap!, and overall Trilemma really made me work to get through the album’s twelve tracks.
"Caveat Emptor" has it highs and lows. By that point I was beginning to notice how repetitive so many of the songs were, and while 'Blue Petals' has a hint of Air to it, that wasn’t enough to save it. However, the final few tracks give a glimmer of hope, as Trilemma finally pull themselves out of their rut and show that on the likes of 'Moonlit Flit' they are capable of delivering the goods.
I apologise, as I always do in these situations, for sounding so harsh. But there is, altogether, more than seventy minutes of music here, and I had to force myself through most of it. There’s a good chance that Trilemma’s other work far surpasses what I have heard, but nothing here gives me much optimism.
Pictures from www.trilemma.co.uk