Who would release an EP untitled? Who would offer up an EP to be reviewed as simply “Untitled?”
Neur would.
This EP should come with a warning. No one in their right mind could sit down and foresee what was to come of this. The post-punk emblematic resurrection of a sound intertwined with originality has, in recent memory, not been so complete.
A lonesome guitar riff strums in your left ear before Tom Baumann’s raspy Followill-like vocals introduce a weary echo in your consciousness, luring you into an off key dreariness moments before you’re thrust into a full-fledged body-moving “Gold Thimble.” With the grace, complexity and finesse of the likes of Tantric, Neur leaves you completely captivated by their freshness. As each song progress, you simply want to turn the volume up and move. The rock like vocals inlaid with the stalling drum progressions and fanatic guitar pieces invigorate the rock in you. The second track, “Start Saving,” bursts open with a tapping solo and impulsive drum chaos that has you looking one way as it sneaks up behind you with a breakdown of mellow bass licks and dream-like guitar. Each song carries a very distinct personality which stands confidently in originality. Even as Todd Schramke funks out a Claypool-esc groove to Baumann’s shredding and primal vocals in “Neur Saves Time,” they project their style into chaos.
The dynamic quality of Neur’s sound grows from the smart guitar compilations of Baumann and Zach Miller, trippy hard drum beats of Mike Davis, and Schramke’s impeccable, never distant bass licks. The quartet delivers an intelligent mix of rock, inlaid with punk/grunge. Defining their sound with a complex, almost clunky melody, these guys fromNew Jersey bring it all around to a memorable six tracks.
Having formed in September 2010 and self-releasing this album four months later, Neur has taken an immense risk. Paul Howells, who has worked with the NYU Ensemble, Connor Healey, and Composer Dosia McKay recorded and mixed the Untitled EP bringing a unique mastering to the already stellar music.
There is an easy answer to what kind of band would release an untitled EP: a band whose music speaks for itself is fully justified in releasing an untitled EP. One such band isJersey’s Neur.