Loom

Hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah, Loom are living up to their moniker through their music. A loom binds together many different threads into one cohesive item, which is exactly what Loom do. If you take the franticness of the Fall of Troy, but dumb it down a bit, vocals similar to Chuck Ragan and a strong violin presence you'd have Selva Molhada. This album is a great mesh of musical techniques that culminates in moments of musical bliss, chaos and, at times, technical fortitude. Even more impressive is the way that Selva Molhada stands out as original sounding; it's not often music like this takes shape. The Fall of Troy factor is best exemplified in "Pockets," with its jittery, stuttered sound, while "Still" is awfully reminiscent of Chiodos. However, "Ruckus," "Prizes" and "Surface" are all individualistic. Loom's sound does come across as stable, as this album doesn't meander into corners of art-rock obscurity or screamo stillness. Being mindful of the tact that's been used to weave the web of Selva Molhada, one can't help but be ensnared by its originality and style.