OCULUS

SEPTEMBER, 1993

Idaho

Year After Year/The Palms EP

Caroline

In the era of vinyl, one had the option of playing the disc at 33 or 45 rpm irrespective of the prescribed speed. Them were the days. Idaho is cut from the mold of American Music Club [sans the sometime off-handed wit] and of an attitude that makes L. Cohen appear uplifting! These are rich canvases of unrequited love songs stretched across deep soundscapes. The band consists of John Berry and Jeff Martins and it’s a wonder this much sound can come of two.

The Palms is their four-track EP of the summer. “Creep” stands out here as the most attractive cut with the fuzz reminiscent of a mid-paced Jesus and Mary Chain rant. The remaining tracks meld together into a sometimes indecipherable whole. Idaho are as much a state of mind as they are crafters of song. “Gone” appears on both the EP and the soon-to-be-released LP, Year After Year, with the latter offering a bit more varied pace.

“Skyscape” is a standout cut from Year After Year as are “Sundown” and “Memorial Day.” This is not music to lift your soul, but to build it The fact that experience is preeminently painful does not really color experience black; it lets us see into the inner nature of experience. Idaho has created a giant in Year After Year: huge and sprawling drones of four string guitar and moody incantations.

John Slyce