Talkdemonic

The bad news about Ruins (the fourth LP from Talkdemonic) is that, overall, it sounds like a dozen other recordings from a dozen other bands. The good news is that those dozen other bands include Arcade Fire, Yo La Tengo, Tortoise and the Dirty Three. It's no secret that the Portland, OR instrumental duo cover a lot of ground on their albums, incorporating viola, cello, banjo, synth and tons of anthemic drum beats into what band member Kevin O'Connor calls "folktronic-hop." Mixed by the most unusual pairing of Clay Jones and Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, "City Sleep" and "Midnight Pass" sound slightly out of place, due to an overly/overtly dynamic drum and guitar sound that works against the band's rhythm-first mentality. The sad truth is that instrumental groups need to work twice as hard as the next act to avoid sounding stale, something Talkdemonic are coming dangerously close to discovering with Ruins.