Giraffe Tongue Orchestra – ‘Broken Lines’ [Review]
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Let’s get that word out of the way.
Supergroup.
Ten letters more than capable of sparking instant controversy. For some, it’s a stigma, a mark of deep shame associated irreversibly with giant egos battling each other for the sole purpose of selling out and cashing in. To fans in the red corner, supergroups without exception represent the musical equivalent of a celebrity game show, something people only watch if they’re die-hard fans of the contestants or bored and mildly curious. The primary reason to watch in the first place is an in-depth knowledge of what the celebrities have actually done.
If you’re looking for the understatement of the year, look no further: Giraffe Tongue Orchestra’s members have done a fair bit in their time. Vocalist William DuVall hails from Alice In Chains, having replaced none other than the legendary Layne Staley. Guitarists Ben Weinman and Brent Hinds made their names in The Dillinger Escape Plan and Mastodon respectively, the former band set to call it a day after final album Dissociation (reviewed here). Bassist Pete Griffin boasts a Grammy win with Zappa Plays Zappa, and drummer Thomas Pridgen also won a Grammy with The Mars Volta.
So yeah. As musicians, these guys are pretty good. Expectations are unsurprisingly high here.
Which brings us on to the fans sitting patiently in the blue corner. The place where nothing much matters when it comes to supergroups except what the results sound like. Who cares what any set of musicians have done in the past? It’s all about now. Fuck history; give us something new. Something fresh. Something vital.
With Broken Lines, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra have definitely created something fresh – and that’s tough to do considering just how many rock-based bands have come before them. Far from being a wankfest in which every member competes for the listener’s attention, Broken Lines sees DuVall, Weinman, Hinds, Griffin, and Pridgen merge their styles almost seamlessly. For me, sitting in the blue corner and interested in a great listening experience above all else, Broken Lines proved itself a quality album.
Broken Lines is essentially a musical mosaic. At times, you’ll hear shades of Alice In Chains, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon, and The Mars Volta – not to mention some fucking winning bass work. But there’s also a clear sense of each individual musician stretching into new territory, digging up influences and inspired moments that their respective fans may not expect. Perhaps ironically, Broken Lines frequently feels pieced together, like a work of craftsmanship rather than a spontaneous, overnight manifestation.
This is a supergroup after all, and the production process will definitely have involved multiple studios across at least America if not the world, and so it’s hardly surprising that this is the case. For some, an awareness of the above might be off-putting, but rest assured that no matter what happens when you start listening between the notes, you’re in for a serious ride. Adapt Or Die is a straight-ahead rocker complete with fast-paced grooves, soaring vocals, and hectic duelling guitar solos; Crucifixion charges ahead with punky energy before falling into proggy rhythmic twists and turns; No-One Is Innocent gets chunky and funky; Blood Moon is a fuzzy, bass-heavy easy highlight; Fragments And Ashes brings it with a very Weinman intro, twisted chords, and a cool solo…and we’re halfway done already.
Onwards. Back To The Light gets a boost from a thick riff, spicy dissonance, one high-speed palm muted section, and a hell-raising cameo from Juliette Lewis over some fucked-up funk. All We Have Is Now is an equally fucked-up ballad, a dark spot where twisted arpeggios constantly lurk below a warm and welcoming surface. Everyone Gets Everything They Really Want takes a turn for the philosophical amid funky touches that sound like Maroon 5, if Maroon 5 were any good. And on crack. Thieves And Whores is a breathless, anxiety ridden, and once again funky rampage through driving riffs, trauma-related lyrics that come across political, and even a bit of whoa-ohing. Finally, Broken Lines the song keeps it unpredictable via 5/4 bars cut into hypersynocpated pieces and an epic ending that would no longer be predictable if I told you how it goes.
Overall: Broken Lines the album is surprisingly funky. You can dance to it, sing along to it, occasionally mosh to it…there’s something for everyone. Definitely not what you’d expect from a group of grunge, mathcore, sludge, and prog musicians called Giraffe Tongue Orchestra – and all the better for it.
Open your ears, and enjoy.
TMMP RATING: 93% (Essential Listening!)
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