Tarantula – Atlantic / 2005 Kemado / 5 Tracks / http://www.tarantulamusic.com / http://www.kemado.com / Reviewed 11 May 2005

The sound that Tarantula plays on their first track, “Grazie Signore” is scary. It is not bad, but the skill of the violin laid down on this track in its ability to assume vocal tones just frightens me that someone is skilled enough to do it. The rest of the track (over six minutes of it) moves through a few different general sounds; with the second movement seems to be proper incidental music for a Hollywood movie, the third track looks to the grey fields of goth rock. The minimalist opening to the title track elicits memories of France as it slinks along. Building up their sound and tempo as the track goes on, individuals cannot help but be emotionally invested with Tarantula, fans which are given the ultimate money shot with a string solo that would rival anything that Jimmy Page could put to music. Another strength of Tarantula comes dfrom their perusal of a double-track with their music: there is great cohesion amongst the tracks, even if the tracks themselves are very distinctive and different from each other.

There is even a track on this disc (La Casa Blanca) that actually could conceivably garner some college-radio airplay; the band does not even have to drop much of their style and charm to make it work with the different audience. With swirling eddies of music and a chaos rapidly growing, “The White House” is yet another success for this very innovative band. This EP is really a disservice to all of the Tarantula fans; at under 25 minutes, individuals are just getting into a groove before the disc shuts off. The bass on this disc is hidden pretty well; aside from the bass that kicks off the opening track, the band has largely created a sound that does not stress any one instrument. The bass is even more hidden considering that it does not have the sharpness of the strings nor the presence of the drums.

Tarantula has only been around for three years and yet have the entirety of their sound figured out. There is a certain confidence that lingers around the entirety of “Atlantic” that gives the tracks a certain sheen that even transcends the impressive arrangements on the disc. By the end of the disc, the band has every listener utterly enthralled, owing much to their skillful crafting of a distinct sound that does not smack of a set of unoriginal individuals trying to make a quick buck.

Top Track: Grazie Singnore

Rating: 6.2/10