Album Review: Anatomy of Habit – Paired Sentinels
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
There’s always a part of me that smiles when I hear a drum beat start off a song, even more so when it’s joined by a bellowing bassline. It’s a simple, uncomplicated process that sets the standard for what is about to follow, and drummer Skylar Rowe and bassist Sam Wagster do a splendid job on opening track “Always Arriving”. The song develops further, with the guitars and vocals spiralling over the hypnotic rhythm as the band invite you into their sphere.
“Paired Sentinels” is the fifth album from Chicago’s Anatomy of Habit as they return with a winning combination of cross genre sounds including doom, noise, shoegaze and post punk. The first track has been described by vocalist Mark Solotroff as “a study of what we leave behind” and like being “caught between the weight of where we’ve been and the certainty of what’s coming”. It’s an interesting opener and leads into “Conditions For Freedom” which has further dynamic and atmospheric sounds layered over a shifting guitar presence and low-end bass.
You need to dig in on this one, as it over thirteen minutes long, but as with the other three songs, it explores “repetition, memory and identity… that shape longing and loss”. The droning adds a certain vulnerability and rawness to the composition that are exemplified by the openness of the vocals from Solotroff. There’s a dramatic shift in the middle section of the song, that makes you stop and think, as the music guides your mind to another world before it comes back to life.
The drums take the lead again on “The Importance of Risk” before the vocals pierce the stop start noise on the track. With the bass again being prominent, it allows for more experimental guitar work from Alex Latus, combined with a plethora of abrasive noises from metal percussionist Isidro Reyes. With all manner of different instruments being used, the repetitive nature of the music is there for all to hear, and it should be complimented as the band have evolved whilst sustaining their creative passion.
The final song, which bares the album title, gives off a strange, almost David Lynch feel to it, as the ambient sounds float around your head, as if you are having an out of body experience looking down upon Earth. Yet, about a quarter of the way in, the group erupt into a short fit of rage, before being scolded like a child and brought back to their sedentary pace. It’s a song full of mystery and intrigue as if it’s searching for something but maybe not fully understanding what it is searching for.
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