Surgeon - Spectrum (Direct download, posted on their facebook wall)
What's The Story?
Anyone under the age of 30 in St. John's has probably seen Hey Rosetta! more times than they care to count; this is a side project that involves their drummer and bass player. They have a CD offering of some sort that's been in the works for a while, but is yet to have a release date proper.
Trying to pigeonhole the genre that Surgeon fits into is best related through story; at their last show, they were covering King Crimson's Red, and it was then that someone told me it was actually a cover and not one of their songs. It fit in so seamlessly with their instrumental post-rock style that they fooled me.
Who's To Blame?
A bass player whose name is routinely, affectionately and drunkenly shouted at bands he plays in, and occasionally at bands he doesn't.
Why ♥ It?
The song starts mysterious and busy, with the drums sounding like seconds ticking away and the guitar fidgeting in ambiance. This is quickly replaced by a dark, heavy movement reminiscent of Russian Circles or Tool. They play within this framework for a minute or so before a chord at 1:36 that sounds so hateful and cool that it's worth its own sentence. The busy guitar returns, but is now accompanied by an effect-laden bell sound.
The best part of the song is probably the reinduction into heavy at around 2:30, that brings tempo and soaring lead guitar with it. The dynamic between slow/moody and fast/heavy is done impeccably.
The sad thing about a band like Surgeon, though, is that it's hard to capture just how impressive the music is as a recording. What you hear in the track is played effortlessly live, with the only deviations being by design for flair. It's always great to be able to see a band of that quality live so frequently because they're local.
