This Et Al “Baby Machine” CD

As someone who listens predominantly to metal and hardcore and that sort of thing, it can be sort of a bitch for me to keep up with/find out about bands that I would appreciate from outside of that core listening realm, so I'm incredibly grateful that This Et Al contacted me out of nowhere about their debut full-length, "Baby Machine", because this album is absolutely fucking outstanding, and has quickly become one of my recent favorites. The UK outfit lists among their influences My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Mogwai, Interpol, and Joy Division, among numerous others; so I'll let that list speak to an idea of where their dark, moody rock is coming from since I'm not learned enough in these realms to suggest any categorical placements of my own. Interpol feels the most familiar of the aforementioned artists while listening to this work, though This Et Al covers more ground in terms of both dynamic range as well as pacing and riffing styles—which certainly speaks volumes of their songwriting talents. Despite carrying a somber sort of tonality from start to finish, there's a wealth of energy to be found, as well as some surprisingly infectious bursts that really pull you in. Quirky indie rock riffing and time signatures mesh with subtly heavier rhythmic shifts to add diversity to the types of softer bass pulses, droning synths, and noisy guitar leanings one might expect. I'm not even sure where else to go with this one—the recording is great, I love the singing and the unique vocal arrangements, the snazzy percussive work is totally badass, I dig the curious lyrical excursions... it's just a killer, killer album. Every song's a keeper and I'm truly fucking impressed by these cats—to the point where this record would've made my "Best of 2006" list had I found the time to check it out in December. Completely and absolutely recommended on every level...

This Et Al "Can You Speak European?"
This Et Al "Wardens"

I know for a fact that a good number of people reading this shit are gonna be all over this, so please, please support the band with a purchase! You can pick up the disc from their website or MySpace page, and even though I hate downloading, if you're lazy and prefer that sort of thing you can find the record on iTunes as well... so there's no excuse! And spread the word, too! These bastards should be waaaaaay more known out there! I can't get over how awesome this disc is...