Animal Faces

I LIKE ANIMAL FACES, i like ‘em a lot. The music fills the total spectrum of sound, from highs to lows, lights and darks, getting in the little cracks and also hitting you over the head with a shovel. It is urgent, it is patient, it is furious and it is disjointed, sad, free, lost, found. Chaotic guitar follows the wild drums, flying in a dizzying pattern, each note chasing the last, not sure where they are headed next, running downhill through a forest - narrowly missing the roots that could snag them and send them flat on their face. But would that be so bad? Halfway through the third song it appears that you are face down in the mud, and the bass thunders on, drenching you in the rain of ringing high notes of the guitar - before crashing again in a beautiful crescendo in the grand finale, as the flood swells.

The music is beautiful and devastating and I cannot stop listening to it. If you are a fan of great musicianship, early 90’s american ‘emo’, post-punk, fugazi, at the drive-in, drive like jehu, braid, even city of caterpillar or, though very different, a-frames, then this is something you need to here. Not quite screamo, not quite just jangly jams - it’s very instrumental heavy music, flirting with that early-mid Modest Mouse (though quite a bit heavier) structure of a vague verse followed by a vague chorus, dissolving(or evolving?) into what you think is a bridge… that becomes it’s own song in a way, effectively jamming into infinity; exploring the spectrum of sound and what is possible, within the confines of a guitar, bass, drums and vocals.

This is very skilled and talented instrumentation, and Analytical Dreaming is wonderfully and beautifully nuanced, subtle and complex, layered and dense but still accessible, listenable and an enjoyable listen on pure “ROCK value” without ever becoming too much - Like getting lost in the woods for 5 minutes is scary in sort of an exciting way(which is what Animal Faces does well) and getting lost in the woods for 2 hours is pretty awful(which is not at all what this is). Similar, in my mind at least, to Husker Du’s Zen Arcade - purely in the way that it also has enough rock and yet is still quite colourful, textured and detailed to make it a fascinating listen.

this is a 500/500 in my books. perfect score. best goddamn thing i’ve heard in ages. you like animal faces. - http://thekidsaregonnasticktogether.tumblr.com/

On their five-song debut, Animal Faces meddle with a familiar sound they ultimately make their own. The trio is able to meld discordance, sludge, and beauty into a ferocious yet delicate mixture of jangly post-hardcore and earnest screamo. Hailing from the Greater Toronto Area, the young members that comprise the outfit have unquestionable style: Jagged and angular guitar riffs bounce freely off of calculated-but-lively drumming, all held together by a solid and adventurous bass. Album opener “Forward Through” begins with a standalone guitar line, slightly off-kilter but absolutely riveting. Once all three bandmembers kick in, it’s a full-force math-rock race to the finish, replete with off-time breaks and stylish hooks. “Aesthetics” picks up the pace from its previous track, vocalist Ryan Naray bellowing the war cry: “To think that we’re built this way, how can we change state?” This line becomes the driving force behind Analytical Dreaming, a flag-bearing reassessment of the fine line between screamo, indie, emo, and hardcore. Where bands like Touché Amoré and La Dispute are currently taking off due to their straddling on this crossroads, the boys in Animal Faces are finally bringing something new to the table. “Living Spaces” is a prime explicator of this dissection, revealing a dark undercurrent that fastidiously explores the technicality of Native and Age Sixteen while it blows a whole into its framework, spiraling downward into a detuned sludge trade-off between guitar and bass à la Neurosis. I also implore you to take a closer look at Narry’s lyrics just before this tidal wave hits: “A process, a repeat of how you wasted time / you always wanted more simple times, you know why you’re here / you always asked for more open space, when your mind is clear.” And then it hits. It all synthesizes, analytically searching through an open space. “A Deep Thought” and “Follow Faster” up the ante to levels you wouldn’t think possible. The group is so fucking tight you’d think they were an institution. Maybe they will be. The truth of the matter is that in this day and age, it isn’t hard to find a group of talented young musicians performing in a band. I’m pretty sure (though I may be wrong) that no one on Sumerian Records‘ roster is over thirty years of age. The problem with most of their bands, however, is that they place technical artifice ahead of emotion. Listening to Animal Faces, one gets the feeling of experiencing the best of both worlds. Riveting chops butt heads with emotional prowess and the listener is left gasping. This is one of my favourite releases already and it’s totally worth your time. You should not miss a chance on seeing these soon to be legendary locals.

(8.5/10) - Hearwax

Three giants from Toronto's artsier side of hardcore have united under the direction of one, to create and deliver something relevant, timeless, dynamic and whole.

A couple of years ago, Ryan Naray (The Love & Terror Cult, Soft Floors, Malta Kano) Started messing around with putting complete jams together by himself, with out the creative limitations and challenges of the typical band scenario. Not being a drummer, however not being too shabby on the drums, Ryan crafted some raw but inventive material falling in line with, but not sounding like acts such as Capsule, Rockets Red Glare, and Okara.

I feel pretty confident in assuming that it was more Narays friends and peers that motivated the shift from a personal project to a full fledged band than his own ambition. I have personally observed on several occasions something like the following. " Yo Ry, when are you gonna get that shit together? It's soooo bad ass!" That's pretty rad motivation, at least I think so..

Ryan started playing and working out jams with destroying Etobicoke drummer, Aaron Morrice ( Authors, The Chronic, Gunnar Rapido, Straight Goods). Soon after, they pulled bass machine, Nilson Gonsalves away from Love & Terror Cult for a jam or two and that was it. Gonsalves and Morrice, bring an unbreakable, immovable foundation to Narray's original themes and concepts. The end result is solid, tight, grooved, angular jams that stick to themes and ride the dynamics. They are satisfying both in recorded and live form, however live is where the goosebumps happen. This band is engaging.

Recently the band has released a cassette on the Mountain Far label. You should get it.
amountainfar.blogspot.com
amountainfar.bigcartel.com

If you prefer the all digital, all the time method of music snatching.
animalfaces.ca
animalfaces.bandcamp.com - Pyramid Scheme