Tacoma Washington Weekday Club “The Torrent/The Fountain” / January 8, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/user-995223790/sets/the-torrentthe-fountain
RIYL: Balance and Composure, Modest Mouse, Whirr, My Bloody Valentine
Earlier this month, Tacoma Washington Weekday Club (a band hailing from Milwaukee, WI) released their EP The Torrent/The Fountain. The EP incorporates samples of storm warnings and weather alerts along with various vocal styles to create a narrative that follows a destructive and tragic storm.
“The Torrent/The Fountain” was written by band members Logan Prevatt and Noah Turks and was recorded and produced by Ron Baake of Sub T Studios. The songwriting is purposely and intelligently done. For instance, the track titled “Dodecagon” is the most shoegaze-y song on the EP, with deep and haunting vocals to accompany the ethereal sound.
In contrast, the track “Heirloom” employs spoken word to provide a narrative, while the instrumental accompaniment builds and falls with the emotion of the speaker.
One of the most notable aspects of the EP is the juxtaposition between the panic of the storm alerts with the calm, dreamy instrumentals. This is evident in “Red Cliffs//The Mountain” in which the music mirrors a typical, calm rainfall while the contradicting sample being used calls for immediate evacuation.
One of the most powerful aspects of the EP is the last line of the penultimate song, which says “We’ll be back, there’s a key under the mat” and then transitions to the ending track “Cynthia Clatter.” This song is filled with an echoing static, interrupted by clicks akin to that of trying to find a channel on a radio not encumbered by the storm.
The power of this EP is embedded in the writers’ ability to string together the music, vocals, and samples like a story, moving seamlessly between poetry, spoken word, scratchy yells and a reflectively emo-ambient tone. These elements connect like a fragmented constellation, carefully curated and beautifully executed.
Digital Wheat Paste 