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The first song on
Nothing Is Broken for Good, “Nothing Lasts Forever,” opens with a simple droning three-note arpeggio. Sublime as it is, this austere and serene sonic landscape offers little clue to that which will ultimately follow. “Empty House” is a perfect case in point: beginning in typical pop/rock fashion before morphing into an all-out instrumental barrage, replete with screamed vocals, before dialing everything back to a lone lingering note. And, therein lies the underlying and undeniable attraction of the album: the way the band darts so seamlessly between softer, meditative passages, melodic pop, hard rock and post-hardcore – all within the course of a single song. The ever-changing tone and rhythms do make Broken something of a difficult listen. Ironically enough, though, they also wind up being the very attributes that render it such an absolutely captivating one as well.
- 8/20/20
Bert Gangl