CD Reviews

Wolf Eyes

Human Animals | Sub

By MIKAEL WOOD | September 26, 2006

2.0 Stars

In 2004, these Michigan-based noise terrorists got as close to the indie-rock mainstream as any of their niche-market peers when Sub Pop unleashed Burned Mind, Wolf Eyes’ 869th release, on the unsuspecting ears of Iron and Wine fans throughout North America. The Metal Machine Music of underground noisecore, Burned Mind owed a large part of its shock value to context rather than content. Human Animal, the trio’s second Sub Pop disc (and first featuring new member Mike Connelly, also of scene heavies Hair Police), doesn’t enjoy that benefit: Wolf Eyes are a known quantity now, so their free-form loop skronk has to capture your attention on its own merits, and the lower-key material here doesn’t do that. The echo-saturated clang works as background music if you’re washing dishes in a haunted house or performing at-home knee surgery, but hunker down with the sound by itself and it evaporates like stale smoke. Of course, I have on occasion dug Iron and Wine.

Wolf Eyes + John Weise + Neptune + Can’t | Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston | October 2 | 617.566.9014

Related: Noise boys, Portrait of the artist as a dirty man, Brown Bird, More

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