Is it too late to add to our year end ‘Best Of’ list? Asking for friend. Who is REALLY into what Four Stroke Baron is about. But seriously, wow! Where did this band come from?!?! According to their bio: “Four Stroke Baron is a band that over 7 billion people don’t know about.” which makes me feel a little less disappointed in myself .
AND WAIT! THIS IS THEIR DEBUT?!?!?!
Planet Silver Screen evokes the kind of aural odyssey that ponders what Between The Buried And Me would sound like if they were fronted by Dave Wakeling. Or! What Tears For Fears would’ve sounded like if they went a heavier route when Kurt Smith initially left the band. Also, their bassist is named Keegan Ferrari.
But I digress. A lot today apparently.
“Cut” is the epitome of what album opening tracks should be about and at barely two minutes in length the track offers so much of what Four Stroke Baron is about but doesn’t reveal too much. That’s saved for the title track which is as crushing as it is cathartic. The drum pummeling alone from Matt Vallarino is simply divine as the track comes off like Duran Duran’s “Planet Earth” meets Devin Townsend Project.
“Neon Person” bristles with a frenetic energy before really letting loose bringing to mind bands like Course of Empire and Killing Joke with Kirk Witt’s vocals acting as a conductor, guiding listeners on this sonic journey. “Machine and Joy” is another that just screams “PROG!” with this wondrous piano line that concludes it and sounds like it should be a part of a completely different song or a song unto itself but is brilliantly tacked on as a segue to “A Matter Of Seconds” which has Ferrari just laying down an impressive rumble.
“7th of July” is an exquisite lesson in progressive melancholy while “Duplex” shimmers, glistening for almost four minutes as Witt airily whispers with his guitar doing most of the real “talking” here. Closer “Video Maniacs” features Jorgen Munkeby (Shining) on saxophone then this percussive blast from Vallarino takes over all as it fades to black and you’re left in silence after hearing one of the most grand debuts of 2018.
Planet Silver Screen descends on November 9th through Prosthetic Records. You can pre-order your very own copy in a variety of formats by clicking here. For the most up-to-date news on Four Stroke Baron, head over to this location here.
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