Giant Squid Catch Their Whale

Giant Squid Catch Their Whale
August 27th, 2009 by Adam

http://www.rabbitholemusic.com/

I've been listening to Giant Squid's new album since February, really trying to wrap my head around it. One or two of my cohorts felt the album drug, and didn't live up to their maniacally brilliant debut, Metridium Field. A few other fellow writers, including myself, initially opined that it was quite fantastic, and a bit of a grower. However, with an album so complex, intricate, and turbulent, time is often needed to decipher how you will feel about it over time. I'm glad I allowed it to fester, or in this case flourish.

Giant Squid's sophomore LP, The Ichthyologist, is based on a graphic novel by the same name written by Giant Squid founding member, Aaron Gregory. The album was produced by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, ISIS, Pearl Jam, Botch) so rest assured it sounds phenomenal. Personally, I think the album's sound picks up where Field left off, but the concept has gotten much grander in scale and the sound, much more dense. San Francisco seems to ooze weirdos, so the move has clearly rubbed off on the band, in a most acceptable way.

If forced to categorize the band, I would call it some form of circus-post-doom, with no one portion out weighing the other. At times, the sound is akin to ISIS, and the next minute System of a Down, or more specifically Serj Tankian, and other times comparable to Mr. Bungle, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, or Dog Fashion Disco. Regardless of who you think they compare to, the album is an absolute eye-opener, and should be on the radar of anybody who's taste goes beyond the ordinary.

The album is currently available on Translation Loss Records, one of my very favorite labels, so please support these fantastic artists.