31 Knots – The Curse of the Longest Day / 2005 Polyvinyl / 4 Tracks / http://www.31knots.com / http://www.polyvinylrecords.com / Reviewed 17 July 2005
The musical intensity in such a down-tempo track like “Welcome To Stop” is reminiscent of “Waiting Room” by Fugazi, even as the vocals of Joe sound similar to Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo at eir best moment. Not to lump 31 Knots with the inane, ironic frat-rock of Weezer, the arrangements that the guitars of the aforementioned Joe and the drumming of Jay Pellicci far outstrip anything currently out on the market. What results during tracks like “Welcome To Stop” is a very layered approach that will force listeners to listen over and over to the disc to fully receive all the bounty that the band has to give. For example, during this opening track 31 Knots bring three different paths to their listeners – during the slower parts, there is an emotive, Freeman/Pastorius-level of bass line being played even as Joe emotes, while the drums are tinny but effectual in the background.
The vaguely classical sound of the strings present on “The Corpse and The Carcass” directly clash with the piano lines that dominate; high-class struggles with a more pedestrian, working-class sound (even present in the recording of the instrument, which feels more earthy). The band even lets its wheels grind more to a halt with the breakdown during “The Corpse and The Carcass”; Joe’s guitar lines, moving to a solo at times really sound influenced by bands like The Mars Volta and Queens of the Stone Age. Allowing “The Curse of the Longest Day” to be divided into two tracks with the short (90 second) instrumental interlude “The Story of Ivan Normal”, individuals can feel refreshed enough to listen to “Coward With Claws”, a track that seems much more Fugazi with its approach, allowing the bass lines to dominate much of the track’s landscape.
The reggae sound enjoyed by “Coward With Claws” really shows listeners that the band can maintain an uptempo sound with just as much ease as the rest of “The Curse of the Longest Day” has been. Starting out their “secret” track with an instrumental interlude, 31 Knots ends the disc with a number of interesting aural goo gahs (such as a cell phone ringing) strewn amongst a very radio-friendly and emotionally-intense song. Why exactly the track was not included in their “official” tracks is beyond me, as it may just be the best track on “The Curse of the Longest Day”. The disc may only be an EP, but it is one of those EPs that is worth the exorbitant price charged at CD stores.
Top Track: Untitled
Rating: 6.5/10