Undo As Always But Never Before

Undo's album, As Always But Never Before, is a strange concoction of sounds and atmospheres that create a world that's given a physical presence by the albums cover. Strange and slightly psychedelic while sounding something like a more ambient Radiohead lost in a post-shoegazing world, Undo have undone so much of pop's dynamics that they're able to reconstruct it the way they want it to sound. As Always But Never Before as a result of all this deconstruction is an album that is outlandish and fascinating. It's an album that doesn't fit from a band who doesn't want to fit and I think that's half the reason that once you start listening to it, you'll find yourself absorbed by it.

With subtle nuances, abnormal sounds, and peculiar arrangements Undo seem to create their songs from 350 different approaches at once. This ethereal sound that they create is as weird as it is haunting and it winds up being the sort of thing that will stir your imagination and soul. With electronics, analogue equipment, acoustic instruments and what seems like a whole host of other instrumentation Undo weave their tapestry of strangeness into a masterwork of beauty. As Always But Never Before is a lush album that's more mysterious than up front and more eerie than familiar. Even when Undo layer vocals into their mix, the songs seem to be just off kilter enough to make you listen attentively. As Always But Never Before is quite a hypnotic record even if the record never offers you the slightest smidgen of a pop hook.

From the spacey whistles of, "Oak Tree," to the barely there, "Five Minutes," Undo have created a record that has more head scratching, blanket clutching, light turning on moments than most bands ever do. As Always But Never Before isn't right, and I don't mean that in a bad way. The dark material and sounds that make up the record are gorgeous and I have to admit that I found it hard to turn away from this record. Spooky and ethereal, this is the sound of your mind and soul wandering in different directions and that's something that's hard to undo.