This tidy little EP of just over 15 minutes by Melbourne band Cat or Pillar packs a whole lot of fun into four indie/prog rock songs of vocals, guitar, drums, keys and bass. Although influenced by the likes of Radiohead, Explosions In The Sky and The Mars Volta, it’s the tenor/alto and at times Buckleyesque vocals of singer Luke Dickinson that stand out. It’s not a voice I liked immediately – I prefer deeper male vocals – but after a couple of listens it’s effortless variation and intricate tone has grown on me considerably and it suits the style of music perfectly. In fact it’s pretty fucking awesome.
Stripping away the voice reveals great math- and post-rock foundations that on their own would be a good listen. The synth rises and falls, providing great variation in depth and providing a soothing backdrop, the keys and samples of Samba most prominent in the intro to ‘She Saw Ghosts’. The variation in Sam’s drum lines is wonderful, never repeating for more than a few bars while staying tight and working with all the other forces.
Matt Thompson’s bass flows along with precision and despite the occasional venture into the spotlight tends to be satisfied delivering the underlying groove, particularly in closer ‘Cigarette’. The guitar of Karl Schmidt drifts between showy lead and jangling rhythm without effort, with tight rolling arpeggios being the main ingredient. Despite the post-rock reference there’s no room for noodling or tremolo here.
‘Between Today and Tomorrow’ is technical but not overtly so and that’s partly why it works well. There’s no sense of standard rock song structure, but at the same time it doesn’t set out to test you or come across as self-indulgent, all of which suits the style of vocals. This is a sound that explores that area between indie- and post-rock ands comes up with that answer bands have been telling us for years; forget the sub-genre label, it’s rock. And good rock at that.
Between Today and Tomorrow is available now on Bandcamp.
Posted by Gilbert Potts
