Shark Quest
Battle of the Loons
[Merge]
Rating: 5.7
Although on paper Shark Quest appears to be quite the scruffy indie- rock
outfit-- they hail from Chapel Hill, employ three guitar players, and
released Battle of the Loons on local indie Merge Records (run by Mac
and Laura of Superchunk)-- nothing could be further from the truth. Their
mellow instrumental ruminations walk a wobbly line between country, surf,
and folk, although it doesn't really qualify for any of those genres. I'd call Shark
Quest post- rock, but that would just confuse things further, since nobody
really knows what that means anyway. One thing's for sure, though; Battle
of the Loons lathers up a pretty groovy, if esoteric, vibe throughout its
nine tracks.
Often bearing similarity to Polvo's meandering instrumental forays (sans
the distortion and Sonic Youth jones), Shark Quest create what could be
called East Coast surf music-- layers of clean, twangy guitar lines
intertwining around moody cello and understated percussion. From the dark,
moody sway of "In A Dive" to the bubbly banjo fingerpicking of "Dead
Turkey Gulch," Battle of the Loons shows a surprising amount of
restraint; the grooves are propulsive, but never build to a
distortion- soaked fever pitch. Shark Quest seem, well, too polite for
that. "Blake Carrington"'s churning cello and bouncy guitar licks come the
closest to rocking out, but they never quite do.
It's clear that the members of Shark Quest are agile on their
instruments; they seem to be combining classical- music backgrounds with a
typically indie willingness to experiment with new methods of composition.
Battle of the Loons is geek- rock without the self- conscious geekiness--
music that certainly doesn't rock, but has a rather learned, studious
charm. The unfortunate downside is that it occasionally takes on the feel
of an impassioned academic exercise; the busy arrangements are kind of
interesting as you listen, but there's very little sense of drama or
emotion that stays with you. It may be cool for wallpaper music, but it's
still wallpaper music.
-Nick Mirov