The Myriad "You Can't Trust a Ladder" (Floodgate)
By Ken Marcou
Monday. Aug 08, 12:06 AM
A nuanced flood of sounds swimming in energy.

You Can’t Trust a Ladder has a lot to offer over and above “rocking.” Sounds and nuances recall baroque and jazz, and at many moments the singer’s inflection reminds me of the French band Overhead, which have similar vocal goodness going on in their music. However, I'd have to say The Myriad, when they Rock, rock a little harder.

"When Fire Falls" is an intense song with urgent guitar runs and a pounding chorus. The vocals are soft and lullaby-ish followed by soaring, asking "can't you see my blood is running thin?", setting the character of the song.

"10,000 × 10,000" follows with a staccato bass line sticking to a shuffled snare drum pattern in a waltzy, piano arpeggiated verse. The song starts off with the whispery suggestion "slip away with me." At many times on the record, this dramaticism is too much on Jeremy Ewardson's part, but it's just right here. This, along with the absorbing rhythmic writing of the bass and drums, make you slip into this song right away, and subsequently, the record.

Other songs like "The Last Time" are dangerously top 40 sounding, like they could be on a bill with Ryan Adams or some shit. But nevertheless, they are nice to listen to, and contain a lot more than mindless musicianship.

"A New Language," on the other hand is simply stunning with its insistence "in finding a pattern of hope in her eyes." Again: tasteful, thoughtful, cooperative bass and drum work by John Schofield and Scott Davis, topped off with arresting vocal harmonies and finally a repetitive guitar arpeggio under it all as if it were the despondent gear in the narrator's mind driving him.

The Myriad show a range of rock genre capability. They manage to do it with a glue that makes a record with no anomalies. The most energetic songs are a flood of sounds swimming in energy and just rules to listen to. Just try not to pound your steering wheel TOO HARD.
www.themyriad.net
www.floodgaterecords.com

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Ken Marcou

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