Aziz Sucks.

…though, truthfully, I’d have said a good bit more had I the space.

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The band’s first full-length album finds them experimenting with more varied instrumentation, though often at the cost of overall songcraft. While the band strives to their familiar celestial sweep and crash, the album lacks the strong thematic development necessary for satisfying instrumental rock. Even if E-bow drones and laptop flourishes are welcome additions to their sound, they’re not justifications for songs unto themselves: without adequate grounding in musical tension, dynamic shifts seem obligatory, and instrumental risks come across as gimmicky.

But, I nitpick: ultimately, This Will Destroy You amounts to an ambitious, rewarding album, occasionally plagued by stagnation and inconsistency.

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(Originally written for Soundcheck Magazine. Feel the shoehorn.)