Excepter are New York's haunted purveyors of stewed electronics and psychedelic goo. They're also a collective in the process of regrouping. After releasing the acclaimed Presidence LP for Paw Tracks in 2010 and undergoing the tragic loss of bandmate Clare Amory the following year, the group's future was as murky as its previously unflagging output. A 2012 tour and the encouragement from the Blast First Petite imprint has resulted in Familiar, quite possibly the most song-based body of work produced by Excepter thus far.
Leading off with the ethereal nursery rhyme of "Maids" and culminating in a devastatingly gorgeous cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren," this three-sided double-LP marries Excepter's avant-garde tendencies with the earworms and melodies associated with traditional pop music. The one exception is the Nathan Corbin-penned electronic blast "Destroy," which is a catatonia-inducing assault of synthetic catharsis. This piece sits alone on the album's third side, backed with an engraving dedicated to Amory on the flip. As a whole, Familiar is a fitting tribute to a fallen comrade and a stunning effort by a group putting themselves back together after such a devastating tragedy.
(Blast First Petite)Leading off with the ethereal nursery rhyme of "Maids" and culminating in a devastatingly gorgeous cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren," this three-sided double-LP marries Excepter's avant-garde tendencies with the earworms and melodies associated with traditional pop music. The one exception is the Nathan Corbin-penned electronic blast "Destroy," which is a catatonia-inducing assault of synthetic catharsis. This piece sits alone on the album's third side, backed with an engraving dedicated to Amory on the flip. As a whole, Familiar is a fitting tribute to a fallen comrade and a stunning effort by a group putting themselves back together after such a devastating tragedy.