Part Chimp is a band that's been active from 2000 to 2012, and many members walked through. Since we live in times of reunions, it comes as no surprise that they have reunited last year, played many shows and now delivered new material.
Their primary music interest is noise in rock form that is not encapsulated, so I could compare them with bands like Explosions In The Sky and Muse, although Part Chimp sound much more powerful and noisy. Truth to be told, their songs are weaker though.
Every song on IV has strong sonic matrix based on noise and sludge guitars. Vocals are added in a manner that makes them sound like a choir, which is a problem because I couldn't understand what they wanted to articulate. I was only capable to feel the building hype in each track, but maybe I will understand what they wanted to say after couple more plays.
This is not the type of music for everyone, especially not instantly, yet that doesn't mean that it's not good. Music arrangements often sound like they come from the brains of true post-rock dudes because the atmosphere easily pumps through each song. In my humble opinion, the music solutions are so stellar that the vocals are almost unnecessary. They come off as additional instruments, which is actually not a bad thing.
It is difficult for me to pinpoint at stands out on records like that because it stands as a homogeneous whole without deviations in quality. Once the album gets under your skin, you start discovering all the minutae it offers. Intermittently, some electronic elements peak through the noise which reveals band's tendency to implement some innovations into their sound that would maybe attract new listeners.
When I have trouble describing something epic, I say that is is a cult. And that's what Part Chimp are - a cult band from London alternative scene that had a long-term deal with the same record label Mogwai was signed up to. In some parts, it is clear what they were searching for all these years they were on hiatus. Now we just have to wait how welcoming will noise world be. Part Chimp still have dynamite in their fingers. The album is a killer and I can not wait for a chance to see them live. I believe these songs sound much better on stage, because this type of energy is not easy to capture in studio.
