PeeP on PoP- Belong

Belong- Common Era (kranky- 2011)

~by Gabe Mcbride

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Belong’s 2006 album, October Language, is a cult classic of sorts. It combines distorted, ambient guitar noise and some slight hints at electronic manipulation. It’s glacial, beautiful, serene, and pretty boring. I may be at a disadvantage, in that this is Pop on Purpose, not Vibrate  on Purpose. I get that there’s an audience for ambient noise, I just ain’t it. 

With Common Era, the band has taken their drone tendencies and compressed them into post-punk pop tunes, to great effect. And compressed is the operative word on Common Era. The drum machine, guitars, vocals,  and synths are smashed together into a singular, methodical purpose on each song, which drives each tune down a rhythmic, purposeful, path. Where October Language was expansive and non-linear, Common Era is laser-beam focused and beautiful, without all the open space. Which is not to say the record is insular or uninviting, just less about mystery and more about emotion.  Common era is full of drowned pop songs. And it’s one of the best albums so far this year.

For Fans of: Loveliescrushing, Joy Division, The Legends’ Over and Over