Disappears - Pre Language

The last sound we heard from Disappears was the tinkling cymbal crash signifying the end of "Revisiting," the metronomic sixteen minute drone that closed their second release, Guider. We still think that "Revisiting" is the band's best track, and our IT Manager Raj still occasionally loops it on his iPod when locked in the server room and amped up on 16 oz. Monster energy drinks during overnight server updates.

Now Disappears is back with Pre Language, and from the sound of it, are a little less obsessed with the motorik rhythms and one-note drones of krautrock bands like Can and Neu!, and more concerned with composing tightly structured songs with an emphasis on guitar hooks and soft/loud dynamics. There's still plenty of reverb, plenty of guitar squall, plenty of layered guitar effects, but they're not plastered all over every second of every song. Lead track "Replicate" begins with a deliberate, pounding rhythm, and while it soon redlines with distorto guitars and cymbal crashes, it returns to that sparse bass/drum combo at song's end.  

The most noticeable difference is that the band sounds less frantic, and more (dare I say) "poppy" in their approach to their songs. Listen closely to these songs and you'll even notice some actual melodies amidst all the periodic bursts of guitar noise. "Brother Joliene" is built around a simple but hooky three-note riff, and the title track features an arena-ready guitar hook that could very easily exist on an Antics-era Interpol B-side.

That is not to say that Pre Language is "Disappears Sell Out". They still churn up a righteous, atonal fury on tracks like "Hibernation Sickness" and "Fear of Darkness", while "All Gone White" is reminiscent of some of the dark, sinister, and decidedly nonradio-friendly tracks on The Cure's Boys Don't Cry.

Disappears makes music that's constantly propelled forward by its rhythm section, with the guitars and front man Brian Case's chant-along vocals always in lockstep pace. New drummer Steve Shelley, better known as the drummer for Sonic Youth, only reenforces this reputation with his unadorned but assured beats. Disappears has learned to harness its often relentless energy, and with Pre Language, they use that wisdom to prove how effective their sonic assault can be when strategically deployed.

Disappears will embark on a tour of Europe later this month, then return to the States in April for a series of shows across the Midwest and East Coast. Catch Disappears in Chicago (along with fellow RAJ faves Lotus Plaza) at Lincoln Hall on April 13.