past lives are what is left of the blood brothers following the schism that took place when members cody votolato and johnny whitney left to form jaguar love. now, with friend and ex-blood brothers guitarist devin welch (he left following their first album rumors laid waste) back in the fold, past lives are faced with an interesting dilemma: “what next?” being four surviving members of a defunct band, how can their sound depart from what they’ve done before when the dynamic really hasn’t shifted? more importantly, should their sound be different? these questions are effectively answered on strange symmetry, the band’s debut EP, where they do what they do best: make stunning, breakneck-speed art punk— albeit this time they’ve taken a much more textural approach. while the one-two punch of jordan and johnny’s call and response is noticeably absent, jordan’s stepping-up as a “front man” does not sound forced. he sings when he wants to and knows when to give the music enough room to breathe. in fact, this awareness of one’s role benefits past lives, as they have the advantage of being a well-weathered, experienced band, sounding comfortable with one another throughout the record. album-opener “beyond gone” balances restraint and tension in a way that suggests a true democracy within the band. while they might have been blood brothers in past lives, the spectre of their former selves does not weigh heavily enough on this new faction to hinder their music. strange symmetry is reassuringly good and a promising start to a new chapter.
Filed under: Album Review , 2008, past lives, strange symmetry, the blood brothers
