A Place to Bury Strangers present something of an enigma to me. In my iTunes ‘Most Played’ section ‘To Fix the Gash in Your Head’, from the band’s 2007 self-titled debut, sits strangely alongside tracks from artists like Brian Eno, Junior Boys and Toro Y Moi. There has always been something that has drawn me to this Brooklyn trio however, something strong enough to pull me out of my soft, padded electro-pop-ambient comfort zone. Their appeal, for me at least, stems from the absolute ferocity they have displayed since they began. You don’t listen to APTBS so much as you are engulfed by their fury and spewed out the other end.
Worship is their third full length LP, and first since 2009’s Exploding Head. They’ve charted a somewhat different course on this album stripping away much of the outright noise in favor of cleaner song structures and a clearer delivery from Oliver Ackerman on vocals. They have concentrated less on their frenzied shoegaze tendencies and more on straightforward 80s new wave.
Songs like ‘Alone’, ‘Fear’, ‘You Are The One’ and ‘Dissolved’ exemplify this trend towards quieter compositions. Save for the spaced out guitars and churning drum beats they’re almost indistinguishable as APTBS songs. There is something reserved and mild-mannered about these tracks that doesn’t work as well as the band’s usual wall of sound attack.
Luckily they do put the pedal to the metal a few times on Worship. Closing track ‘Leaving Tomorrow’ employs the familiar guitar shredding and mind bending effects that have been this band’s M.O. and it really comes as a big payoff at the end of the album. ‘Revenge’ and the title track are likewise inclined and might lead to bleeding of the ears if heard too loudly.
The newfound quietude that APTBS have embraced on Worship isn’t as immediately arresting as their previous work, but it’s still not to be taken lightly. The usual rage and noise may be veiled, but something sinister is lurking out there on the fringes staying frustratingly out of reach.
Grade: B-
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