Subtle - Exiting Arm

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 8 / 6 / 2008

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Review

Supposedly the 'Exiting Arms' album is the last part of a trilogy but I'm not buying that. Bands on labels such as Anticon and Lex tend to disguise their Californian highway drone music as being something special. Thriving on soliloquy, Subtle forces the listener to a level in which words only refer to vague notions of far fetched concepts. Meanwhile the music is supposed to put you in the driving seat and overwhelm you. In truth though, these albums from Subtle, Why and so on serve as a perfect illustrations of the boredom to be found within the Californian music scene. Subtle's rhythm patterns know no other purpose other than how to topple the rumble coming from driving the highways. The production is very thick and dense which is the ultimate way of covering up. Then you have those whispering voices that tell you very little you've not heard before. Subtle is a most inappropriate band name if there ever was one. 'Exiting Arm' reaches out for a college radio and blog community which is in dire need of inspiration.At some stage, I liked bands such as Subtle and Why but they've become such conservative bores, endlessly repeating their tricks. You got to be 14 years of age and ignorant of the music that has happened beforehand to really appreciate this. There's no room for experimentation on 'Exiting Arms' - the sidesteps are rather tedious and make you stretch out for an old Mothers Of Invention album. This Subtle album actually functions as the revenge of the smurfs, if nothing else.The level of unremarkability proves quite remarkable. This is not part of a trilogy. It's a tragedy. 'Exiting Arms' does not include one single moment of excitement. The album just goes on and on and on.

Track Listing:-

1 ExitingARM
2 Day Dangerous
3 The No
4 Sick Soft Perfection
5 Hollow Hollered
6 The Crow
7 Unlikely Rock Shock
8 Take to That
9 Gonebones
10 Wanted Found
11 Providence